Introspective Introverts [Caerbannog/Cymakara/Closed]

[Deleted]

Status:  Healthy / Rested Mood: Deceptively Tired It had been a couple days since the Apocalypse, and even though 0XF0RD was in a completely different server, he couldn't help but sense a feeling of curiosity as he walked around London. Despite the grand city being mostly comprised of ruins, he often found himself looking at the buildings, figuring out which ones seemed to be intact and which ones were a lost cause. The sound of a busy district could be heard in the distance, the source of it being the market street located further down the road 0XF0RD was walking on. Everyone had seemed to be adjusting nicely, despite the chaos that originally followed the first day of the Apocalypse. 'I hope they're all adjusting well over there,' he thought to himself. 0XF0RD only had a couple friends on the American server, but they were some of the closest friends he ever had. Everyone else that knew him were only acquaintances, so the transition from the American server to the London server was relatively painless. No tears, and no heart-breaking goodbyes. When he first started on this server, he made some mistakes trying to make friends. A resource-gathering expedition seemed to be a good way to make friends with other beginning players. It was a good idea, but executed poorly. And by poorly, it means that it consisted of 0XF0RD standing in the middle of the market, and yelled his request to the world. Landers were disturbed by his ruckus, adventurers were ticked by his disturbance of the peace. And worst of all, the group formed, and then went on without, leaving him behind at the market, back at square one. It was for the best. Most of his initial fear of conversing with other people had left him once he realized that everyone had adjusted pretty well. He just assumed that everyone was still in a minor state of panic, thus letting him believe that his actions were justifiable in this present state. Obviously, they were not. Finding a bench to sit on, 0XF0RD sat himself down. The scenery was calm and the atmosphere was peaceful, some leaves flitting around in the light breeze. Before he knew it, he'd already dozed off, but by the way 0XF0RD was sitting, you would think he's just deep in thought. Most people didn't notice him, but there were a few who did. Words: 393

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Some hours into the day, as the streets became busy; a lone girl with dark hair and blue eyes woke from her slumber. She’d fallen on the side of the road. Again. She’d probably get a scolding for that. Again. Caerbannog looked left and right to see if anyone who knew her was around, but so far all she saw were unfamiliar faces. Whether they were landers or adventurers, she would never know unless she pried into their business; that was something that she wouldn’t readily do unless she was extremely curious of someone’s backstory. Having spoken to landers before, she knew all too well that they would talk on and on about their woes and anxieties. They would probably whine about pittered boars. Again.

The samurai yawned and stretched her arms way above her head. It was a good, though late, start for that day. She then stood up and looked around for a nearby food stall, but there was none. At least on that part of Londenium, all she could see were some ruined buildings. Not quite hungry yet, the girl decided to walk around the main streets just to further familiarize herself with it. During the walk, that was when she saw a most curious sight. There by the side of the road sat a brown haired guy who seemed to be lost in his thoughts.

Caerbannog looked at the other passers-by who glanced at that person. Was he a lander or an adventurer? She wondered. The girl walked towards him but in such a way that it seemed as if she was passing by. When she was directly in front of the thinker, she inched closer to him, not minding that she looked a bit odd doing so. Then, the blue-eyed samurai looked closely at his face; she squinted her eyes and observed his expression. The guy still had no reaction... what could he be thinking about that was so important? Could it- wait. He was asleep.

The girl was a bit disappointed that what looked like a scholarly person turned out to be a sleepy one instead. If she had a marker, she’d have drawn on his face already, like that one time when Kumori fell asleep on her computer table and so she could not play her games. It took much washing and scrubbing to remove the whiskers and fake eyes that she drew. But would she do such a thing to a total stranger? Probably. And so, feeling mischievous at that moment, Caerbannog leaned close to the slumbering guy, gathered the tip of her black hair in her hands, and brushed it across his face.

OOC Notes: ---
Word Count: 442
Tags: @dindeen @0x1dea

[Deleted]

Status:  Healthy / Rested Mood: Dreaming Disturbance Scenes flashed before 0XF0RD as he dreamed...if that's what you would call it. While his dreams were vivid and had more pronounced detail, these were different. Like someone with a low-animation budget had decided to make a movie featuring low-resolution 3D models and their adventures through Graphical Glitch Land. All of a sudden, one turned toward him. It walked by, looking at him as it did so, almost as if it was studying him. Even though this entity didn't have a face, he could feel a stare, emanating from it as if it was actually looking at him. All of a sudden, it got closer to his face, the modeling of the 3D form clearly showing. 0XF0RD could count the triangles that made it up, if he wasn't so startled at its sudden movement. The form reached behind its head, pulling a black triangle from it, and then brushed it across his nose. The sensation from the triangle was oddly soft, like a brush of fine hairs. He was expecting it to be hard and cold, but instead, it was light and warm. The sense of disbelief rocked him to his very core, which in turn caused 0XF0RD to abrubtly throw himself backwards from the creature. Unfortunately for him, he was awake, and the sensation of him throwing himself was actually him falling backwards with the bench. 'Ugh...what on earth was that? Better make a note of it,' 0XF0RD thought to himself as he scribbled a note in his notebook. Snapping the notebook shut, 0XF0RD began his struggle against the game's gravity, which can be a bit confusing when you've just woken up. He managed to get to all fours when he looked up and noticed a black-haired girl, with piercing blue eyes. The fact that someone had been watching him the whole time he'd been flailing around like a newborn baby turtle caused his face flush to a light shade of red. Combined with the fact that he was seen by a girl (a cute girl, to his dismay) caused his face to flush to a deeper shade of crimson. 0XF0RD shrunk behind the bench and made a quick note before getting up. 'NOTE: Dream entities may in fact be actual people. Proceed to sleep in stylish poses (if there's even such a thing). You never know when someone is watching/judging.' The small blue-eyed girl continued to stare at him, as if he were a jack-in-the-box that had just popped out. Words: 415

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The slumbering person suddenly fell backwards; gear, bench and all. Startled, the samurai stepped back, let go of her hair as if she did nothing wrong, and then looked left and right for any witnesses. There were a lot of them... damn. The onlookers were initially worried about the guy who fell backwards, but when he seemed to be okay, they went about their business. They shot mean looks at Caerbannog before they left, as if saying that they knew that it was her fault. Adults accept their responsibilities, right? If she wanted to be less of a child and more of a grown-up, the girl could start then and there.

The samurai stared at the guy a bit more; at that point he was flailing and attempting to get on all fours. Soon he noticed her presence, but when Caerbannog considered greeting him, the guy hid behind the bench. Thus she continued to stare at him curiously, most especially when he wrote down some notes. It seemed that he would rather converse with pen and paper than to a person like her- well, good! She did not want to talk to him either!

Instead of trying to help the guy up, Caerbannog walked over to the fallen bench and gestured for him to move away, something like ‘ Shoo, shoo~ ’ Even if he did not move away, the samurai still would go on to do what she wanted to in the first place: put the bench back in its proper place. Her class afforded her some strength for the task, but the required leverage to actually pull up such a large object was a whole other matter. Once the girl realized this, she motioned for the sleepy guy to help her clean up the mess.

OOC Notes: ---
Word Count: 295
Tags: @dindeen @0x1dea

[Deleted]

Status:  Healthy / Rested Mood: Dazed and Confused...And a Little Hungry The tiny Wolf Hair girl was making a waving gesture at him with her arms, as if he was a stray dog she was trying to run off. 0XF0RD felt a little hurt at first, but then realized the girl just wanted to put the bench back to its natural position. Looking at the description floating above her head, he saw that the girl (whose name was...Caerbannog?) was a Samurai, so she should have enough points in her STR stat to lift pretty much any everyday object. However, he noticed she couldn't position the bench in the right way to lift it and was having some trouble doing so. She looked at 0XF0RD with a focused gaze, motioning to him to come over and help her with the bench repositioning. Seeing as he couldn't leave her to clean up his mess, 0XF0RD walked over and grabbed the other side, and they both lifted the bench up. Their combined STR was more than enough to put the bench back at its original position, the Eye-Alluring 90-Degree Upright Position, a wonderful way to view your arrangements in an orderly fashion. Admiring their handiwork, 0XF0RD dusted off his hands when his stomach emitted the low, warbling growl that signifies an ample food shortage. In other words, he was hungry. He looked over at Caerbannog wondering what she was doing on this road as well. Looking further down the road, he could see faint signs of a marketplace, with some players still milling around it. After adjusting his glasses, 0XF0RD focused a little harder on the players, and noticed that it looked like they were carrying food and other assorted items. 0XF0RD looked back at the blue-eyed girl. Hehe, maybe I could call her 'Blues', he thought. He was about to ask her if she wanted to go grab a bite, but it was then that she never spoke to him. She might have suffered some shock from the events of the Apocalypse, but it was more like she wasn't comfortable talking to him yet. An easy fix. 0XF0RD took out his notebook, and flipped to a blank page. Let's see, doodles were on the first 20 pages, notes on the next 20...ah, here we go. 'Did you want to go grab a bite to eat? I'll pay for yours as thanks for helping me with the bench,' read the note. A little smiley face was drawn next it to it to show his efforts at being a friend. He handed the notebook to Blues, seeing how she would respond. Words: 428

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The bench was put back to its original position without delay, and Caerbannog turned to the culprit to thank him at least for not shirking his responsibility. But as she looked at him... up, up, up. The samurai’s expression changed from slightly annoyed to fear, and then quickly from fear to just plain surprise. Was everyone in Elder Tale a freaking giant?! she thought. The guy was nowhere near a giant, of course, but to the samurai, he was.

Caerbannog then noticed the guy’s notes. It was neatly written and had a smiley face too. So he was... a friendly giant? The samurai squinted at him and while it seemed like an accusatory look, in truth she was merely concentrating on reading his name: 0XF0RD. The smiley face was a nice touch, at the very least, it put the girl at ease. Her eyes soon went back to their usual near-deadpan look and she simply nodded at 0XF0RD. He reminded her of someone that she met recently... someone... Caerbannog suddenly put her hand up, gesturing for him to wait for a while. She then pulled up her Friends List and sent a request to 0XF0RD; afterwards she clicked a name “Cy Makara”.

“ Uhm... food time... “ the girl awkwardly said to the person at the other end of the call, “ Near marketplace. Lots people. “

She waited for a confirmation then the girl ended the call. The samurai was obviously nervous from that experience; it was the first time that she called someone up, as it usually was the other way around. Caerbannog looked down at her shoes as she put a hand over her forehead to hide her expression. When she calmed down, the girl looked up at 0XF0RD again.

“ Three not a crowd, “ she simply stated, and then she pointed at the marketplace, “ Go? “

Caerbannog would try to keep up with the larger person’s pace on their way to the nearby destination.

OOC Notes: ---
Word Count: 330
Tags: @dindeen @0x1dea cymakara

[Deleted]

Status:  Healthy / Rested Mood: Hungry for Adventure...And, You Know, Food 0XF0RD was about to begin the stroll down towards the stalls with Blues, but he noticed that she was motioning him to wait. She pulled up her contact list, and contacted a person by the name of...Cy Makara? All of a sudden, the small Samurai began talking to the other person, which surprised 0XF0RD, as he hadn't heard so much as a peep from her since they first met (which was only a couple of minutes ago, but the perception of time is a mysterious creature). She spoke in short sentences, transmitting her knowledge in the most concise way possible. After all was said and done, the two walked off towards market, 0XF0RD deliberately taking smaller strides in his steps so Caerbannog wouldn't have to run to keep up. Even back in the real world, people would often complain he would walk too fast when they were walking and talking. Truth be told, he just wanted to avoid having any conversation with them so he could get home and play Elder Tales. It only took a couple of minutes to get to the market, and by this time, 0XF0RD could smell the food. It all mixed together into a sweet scent that lovingly caressed his nostrils as if they were lovers seperated from some time. 0XF0RD's mouth began to water as he began to look at all the food being prepared, trying to figure out which delicacy would be deserving of his limited amount of gold. It all looked so good to him. There were stalls selling sticks piled high with boar meat, some selling an assortment of confectionries, such as small cakes and cookies, and others selling more akin to the fast food fare, such as hamburgers and chicken wings. He was tempted to empty his pockets, and go on a big sampling run. But then that would leave Blues without anything to eat, even after he said he would treat her. 0XF0RD took out his notebook and jotted a question for her: Is there anything in particular you want to eat? I'm fine with anything and might try a little bit of everything. A little smiling face with its mouth watering was drawn next to it to show his hunger. Words: 373 Tags: @dindeen

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The two adventurers arrived at the nearby marketplace just as new dishes were cooked up. The smell of various food items mixed in the air, but each one was still distinct from all the others. She half-walked, half-ran beside 0XF0RD on their way there, so the girl was a bit flustered. Before she could take in the change of scenery and the faster pace on that part of town, the notebook was shown to her again. This time, 0XF0RD asked her what she wanted to eat.

“ Sweets, “ she simply said.

It was the time to eat all the sweets and junk food that she could find, for the girl’s overly concerned babysitter was nowhere near her. The samurai skipped over to a stall with freshly baked goods, and then she pointed at two small cakes, one with chocolate, the other with custard; and a pile of chocolate chip cookies. Without a word, she waited for the other adventurer to make the purchase as he offered earlier. She looked around every now and then to check the crowd for a familiar face, particularly the monk Cy.

Caerbannog then looked up at 0XF0RD and noted that he looked similar to the monk. Not only the height, but the rather unconcerned appearance too. The girl did not like overly-serious people, though she seemed like one herself, because Elder Tale was already a scary place. She did not want any negativity for it would add to the burden of living in that new reality. While both adventurers seemed collected, they also had a different side which Caerbannog saw through. 0XF0RD, instead of getting angry at her for the prank, hid behind the bench and kept to himself. And Cy, although it was the girl who bumped into him at the Station, tried his best to make her calm down instead of getting angry.

OOC Notes: ---
Word Count: 311
Tags: @dindeen @0x1dea cymakara

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Status: Healthy / Rested Mood: My Wallet's Empty, But My Stomach's Happy 0XF0RD ordered the cakes that Caerbannog pointed to, as well as a small pile of chocolate chip cookies for them to snack on later, and handed over the money to the shopkeep while staring unfocusedly out into the distance, mentally determining whether or not he had enough money to get some other food. Caer held onto the bag of pastries as they walked over to the local hamburger venue. It felt like a other wordly version of a popular fast food chain he would visit every once in a while. Looking at the menu, he saw that they offered chicken wings, covered in a spicy sauce. The heavens have opened and shined their light upon 0XF0RD. Chicken was, in his opinion, the tastiest meat out there. Beef steak was too expensive, and would take forever to chew, and ground beef by itself didn't have much flavor. But chicken, oh no, chicken could be cooked in a multitude of ways, and served in larger quantities. 0XF0RD dumped his remaining quantity of gold onto the counter as the Lander waitress gave him a weird look. "Excuse me, how many chicken wings would this amount be able to purchase?" asked 0XF0RD. The waitress sifted through the amount, expertly arranging the coins while keeping a mental count, like a living calculator. Every accountant's dream worker. "It looks like you'll be able to purchase 2 dozen wings with this amount," the waitress replied. 0XF0RD shoved the meager pile of gold towards her. "If I can get that in a bucket, that would be great. Also, can I get some hot sauce with this?" Whatever money he had left was now in the cash box of a restaurant with perhaps the finest chicken wings he'd ever tasted, munching on one as Caer and himself wandered aimlessly through the market stalls. The sauce glazed over the wings was nice and spicy, enough to make his taste buds do the salsa, but not so overbearing to assume the fire-breathing abilities of dragons. 0XF0RD made another note to himself: NOTE: Low on cash. By that, I mean NO cash. Need to gather funds soon. He then flipped back to his 'Caer Questions' page, but instead of deciding to write down his inquiry, he voiced it directly to Caer this time. "Did you want to go eat back at the bench, or should we find a table and wait for your friend?" They were currently in an area set up like a small food court, where some others were eating food. Quite a few people were here, making 0XF0RD feel a little uneasy. He didn't want any rumors to spread, but it would be easier for Caer's friend to find them and meet up here. Words: 455 Tags: @dindeen

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That day, Caerbannog stuffed her face full of cake. It wasn’t a lie. Or maybe it was? It was a delicious lie then. Though skeptical at first due to the horrible taste of most lander food items, the girl’s pessimism was soon washed away by the bitter sweet chocolate goodness. She ate it slowly as she walked beside the taller adventurer. From the sidelines, the girl merely watched whatever he did.

How many chicken wings can an adventurer eat? A lot, apparently. Caerbannog marveled at the sight before her, not uttering a single word of course. The pile of cookies that he purchased was nothing compared to the bucket of glazed chicken. She looked at 0XF0RD’s bucket every now and then, but she did not want any of it; the samurai was simply curious. Soon she finished her chocolatey food item down to the last bite, and the girl moved on to the custard cake.

Suddenly, the samurai’s companion spoke up. Not to another lander or random vendor, but to her. At that point, they were in an area where they could sit down and wait for Cy. It would be tiring to go all the way back to the bench, she thought, and so Caerbannog walked up to a table and sat in one of the chairs.

“ Here, “ she simply said to 0XF0RD.

Her tone was unyielding, her words concise. One would think that, despite her small voice, the samurai was a commanding figure that would be frightful to look upon. However, that was so far from the truth. Caerbannog had cake all over her face and a bit of custard on her hair too. Her overall appearance was so far from the serious expression of her eyes. The girl, unaware of the mess that she made, continued eating the custard cake down to the last bite.

OOC Notes: ---
Word Count: 306
Tags: @dindeen @0x1dea cymakara

[cymakara]

The monk had just been FINALLY gearing himself up to actually go do some grinding, pushing all self-doubt aside, all of those emotional baggages that kept him from acting... Right when he got the invitation. There was a long pause, a facepalm, and then a hesitant acceptance as he let his amped and prepared mentality degrade back to that of a normal, socially introverted monk. He did smile, in privacy, however. It had been a bit since he saw Caer, and it owuld be nice to hang out before he actually DID break his back fighting for the first time since being here.

He made his way over, lumbering over a deal of the others he would come across as per usual. The human just looking like a Mountain of pure man when you didn't think about his Introversions, but upon seeing Caer he'd shoot over a wave. Making his way over, spotting her friend, and just trying to maintain a semblance of "Normality" as he approached the two of them. Speaking in his usual calm, authoritative tone. "Caerbonnag, you called?" Sounding more like an enforcer or guardian than a friend.

word count - 191 words

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Status: Healthy / Rested Mood: Three Is a Comfortable Crowd As 0XF0RD sat eating his spicy wings, a young man dressed as in the traditional garb of Japanese monks came walking towards them, waving at Caerbannog as she returned the wave. And here I am, pigging out like some sort of slob, he thought to himself as he licked the remaining hot sauce off his fingers. The monk took a seat next to Caer, not really making eye contact with 0XF0RD. He knew how he felt: 0XF0RD was doing the same thing. After a few minutes of uncomfortable silence, just sitting there and staring at the table and remaining food items, 0XF0RD suddenly stood up. "Hey, it's nice to finally put a face to all the stories Caer told me about you," he said to the Monk. More like 'eavesdropped on', he thought, recalling her telepathy conversation. He held out his hand for a hand shake towards the monk. "My name's 0XF0RD, but you can call me Ox. Nice to meet you!" He then grabbed the bucket of wings and held it out to the Monk. "You want a wing? Careful, though. The spice has a bit of zing to it." Words: 191 Tags: @dindeen cymakara

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With a messy face, cake-riddled hair and chocolate covered hands, Caerbannog waved back at the monk. She then tried to say something but the cake in her mouth made nothing audible. The girl finished her sweets first, and then she crudely wiped her face with the back of her hand.

“ Eating, “ she simply replied to Cy.

The girl sat back and watched how the two would interact, but as expected, it was boring. Well, her own personality was not that far from theirs. Maybe they had something in common? Not height, definitely. Both men were giants while she was... she was... not a giant! Their in-game names? Too different. Their classes? Just then, the girl realized something and she looked so surprised that it seemed as if she had an important discovery.

“ Tanks! “ Caerbannog suddenly said, “Guardian, samurai, monk... TANKS! “

OOC Notes: ---
Word Count: 145
Tags: @dindeen @0x1dea cymakara

[cymakara]

You stare at the other man for a moment as your cheeks do turn a small shade, unsure of what had been said of you prior to this meeting and before you can really reply, you're offered food. You reach to take some but choose instead to speak, "Cy... It is... Equally a pleasure to meet you, Ox." Before finally taking one of the wings and eating it. The zest... Actually didn't seem to kick you as much as it might others. You LOVED spicy food, and by loved you mean you'd drink hot sauce if there wasn't the health concerns involved.

That was when Caer made her discovery. You were all three Tank classes, and... Seemed a bit socially lacking. Your eyes widened a little, as you looked between the duo, then smiled a little. Trying to play off the moment in character, "I would not call myself a Tank... Yet. I have yet to really train... I'd be more of a punching bag..."

Word Cound - 165 Words