Lost in Wonderland? [Decicode, Open]

[Aurora]

so it is requested, so shall it be

Elder Tale, was it? This game that Lili (or perhaps now referred to as Aurora) has found herself locked into. This was life now-a-days. Or so the theory goes. The first days of panic and unrest have given way to the now melancholic state of acceptance. How does one cope with having everything they knew in the real world suddenly taken from them? It differed depending on the person. Some even went so far as to attempt to kill themselves. Unfortunately, this game does not allow such things. “No death? What kind of twisted farce is this? This isn’t living…” The petite frame of the girl, ears poking out above the very tall flowers she had happened to wander her way into, bobbed up and down slightly as she spoke the words. With a lack of death, darkness was certain to come. Those that kill without remorse… And yet, was she any better? It was somewhat amusing, however, that she found herself among an overrun garden filled with the natural beauty that years of the environment flourishing, unhindered by man, brings. Granted, at this point it was obvious that the growth had begun to pose a problem on the nearby land. Even a flower, after all, can be a pest.

Meandering about without a goal, Aurora turned her thoughts to her current status. Going into the game, she had chosen a role most suited to her desire to help others. That is, she was an enchanter. However, she hadn’t quite considered the full situation when having chosen that class. People began to form groups around her: Those that desired to return to the real world, those that accepted their current world as it is, and those that sought to remain in this world. And yet, her she was, alone. Simply put, she wasn’t cut out to join up with others to begin with. Having never been a gamer in the past (lack of money made sure of that) she was far from skilled in the ways of playing them. Elder Tale had been meant only as a distraction for her, something to take her mind off of things. The sad thing is, it did that in spades. She’s certainly got her mind away from her failures as a maid in the real world. Stuck in this warped reality, she didn’t really have a choice.

Glancing down at her small frame, she made note that the next time she plays a game (if that time ever comes, considering) that she would not be so lack-luster with her character design. She looked like a child, after all. This thought, however, met an abrupt end as she stumbled out of the maze of flowers and into a small clearing. Within this clearing sat a small gathering of 3 dull green slime. From what she knew about these creatures, they weren’t necessarily hostile. However, they could sense magic users. As the slimes became aware of her presence, they clumped themselves around her feet in their pursuit of curiosity.

Enemies Met: 3x Dull Green Slime
Word Count: 502
Notes: Simple Beginning

aeron at thq

[Deleted]

In the blink of an eye. One small twist of fate, and everything that Jeremiah had worked for in his life, fame, power, money, women, all of it had vanished, replaced by this video game fantasy world. He was never a fan of this sort of thing, running around a virtual world, pretending to be a hero. Why would he pay to do something like that when he could be out living a life more worthwhile than any of these brats could even dream of. If he hadn't been offered so much money to do so, he would still be out in his beach house living it up. His initial response to being trapped was to lash out at the closest person. That poor Person of the Land, as the players called them, never expected the smooth talking knight to turn on them so suddenly. However, the time to think and investigate the situation had caused the game to peak his curiosity. A world without death. There was surely some kind of catch, something that they had missed, yet for now, he found no repercussions. A break from a world he had already conquered, to a world that would be far easier to manipulate.

Now that he had been able to calm himself and gather his thoughts, "Decicode" was ready to make a name for himself, first by gathering followers from the others that just started so that he could have some meat shields. It was lucky he had carried over his glorious looks. By getting at least one girl on his side to start with, he'd have some influence over the lonelier boys that typically took to this activity, perhaps even some higher level ones. A little scouting around the town yielded excellent results, many female avatars were about, trying to figure out what to do with themselves now that they were trapped. With a little persuasion he could likely get any of them to follow him with the snap of his fingers. That kind of thing was boring at this point in his life though, he wanted a challenge, and it wasn't until he noticed one peculiar fox-tailed girl leaving town, out to the fields of battle. Something about her grabbed his attention, intuition perhaps? Whatever it was, he knew that she would have to be his first acquisition. Keeping a careful distance, he followed, trying to pick up on any subtle bits of suggestion she may give off.

The tall flowers he tracked her into made sneaking more difficult, and not being a stealth class, it was already more difficult than he wanted, but he always had a plan in case he was caught in the chase. He stopped just outside the clearing she came to, watching the girl and getting a better look. Her body was young, yet the fact that she came out without a party, despite being a magic caster, meant she had more confidence than a young girl would. Likely her character was made in an attempt to hide her true age, and maybe even personality? It wouldn't be the first time a person in one of these hid themselves, he might even have stumbled upon a man playing a woman. He'd need to converse some to be sure.

The three green slimes that sat at the clearing weren't looking too fierce, a pair of beginners could easily handle the blobs from what he understood so far. It might not be so easy for a magic user like her in what was likely her first fight, even if they were docile in nature, things might change quickly here. Running his hands over golden hair, Decicode walked out behind the girl, a friendly smile on his stunning visage. "Cute little guys, are they not, m'lady?" disgusting little blobs.

ENEMIES MET: 3x Dull Green Slimes
WORDS: 634
NOTES: Lie face time

made by IMPULSE! of gangnam style

[Aurora]

so it is requested, so shall it be

She hadn’t spent much time in isolation before she heard the footfall of another behind her. While she initially tensed up at the thought of it being something more intimidating than the pathetic creatures that stood (if you could even call it that, considering the ooze-balls’ lack of appendages) but she quickly resolved otherwise by stealing a glance over her shoulder. From the looks of it, it was merely another player. A male. Taller than she was by quite a bit and decked out in plate armor. From the looks of it, he also carried a sword and shield which made it all the more obvious this man was a melee fighter. What does he want? She thought, placing a hand in the sash across her abdomen, and grasping hold of her grimoire. Depending on where this conversation leads, she may well be in for a fight. Not something she wants, but she might be able to pull something out if she kept her distance (even if this only consists of running away). And since it was safe to assume that many people would play by the same rules they do in the real world, it wouldn’t be surprising if this man stabbed her in the back in the very next moment. Raising her other hand and turning slightly to face her “friend”, she points to him and with a movement of her index finger, draws up some basic information about him. It was still odd to her to have such a thing “built into her” as if it was as natural as breathing. It was as if she were operating some invisible mouse. Nevertheless, this was what had become of the world and if she wanted to get anywhere at all here, she would have to quickly adapt to the new way of existence.

"Cute little guys, are they not, m'lady?" The man said, running a hand through his quite striking golden hair. Something about the way he said it irked her a little. Perhaps it reminded her all too well of her stent at the Chevalier home. Regardless, he didn’t say it with any note of underlying hostility. As such, it may be safe to drop her guard a bit. At the very least, a good maid would respond. Smiling slightly, she nods. "Yes. I have heard about them, but have yet to see any this closely before. Wondrous things. It’s incredible to believe that they’re real.” Not that she actually believed any of that. As far as she was concerned, this was still a world of falsity. It was a fake. Nothing here was real. For lack of a better example, look at her. She looked nothing like her real self. In a world where there’s no death and people are free to take on any appearance they want, how is it possible to believe any of this is real? Nevertheless, this was not the time for such a thought. She still needed to address the man standing in front of her. So without further beating around the bush, she jumps straight to the question forefront on her mind “So? What brings you here? Merely admiring the flowers?”

Word Count: 530
Notes: Barrier Building

aeron at thq

[Deleted]

She seemed less than nervous about his sudden appearance, but had still managed to raise her guard, hand quickly finding the book in the back of her sash. He attributed her quick pause and relaxation to his looks, often using them to disarm the distrustful at first sight. The girl's slight smile looked to hide some other emotion at the moment, but he couldn't quite get a handle on her personality yet. Needless to say, he couldn't go on much longer without knowing her name, and the handy little interface system gave him a quicker option for finding out that tidbit without asking. Opening the menu with a quick hand movement he took a small peek at her base information. While Aurora was surely not her real name, it would do until he got her relaxed enough to give some real world information. He would need to explore how real this place was later.

"I came here to admire something far more beautiful than flowers, Miss Aurora. I noticed you leaving the town and knew I could never let a young girl wander around out here alone." Perhaps a little bit of poking around with off-handed comments would get a little information about the real person behind the avatar. Watching her out of the corner of his eye, he walked closer, kneeling down next to her to poke at the slime that were sniffing, in a way, down at her feet. It was squishy, felt a bit slimy, yet left no sign of residue on his finger. Jello would be a good comparison. Decicode doubted it would taste as pleasant. "Not really a threat for me to save you from. Maybe I should have waited a bit to make a grand appearance." They would be worth experience all the same, but he could hardly make the first move against them if he wanted to keep up the nice guy act for now. At least until he got her to trust him more.

"What is it that Miss Aurora is out here looking for anyways? It really isn't safe for a magic user like you to be out and about alone. Especially one so young when some PKers could be camping the early areas." He would have to come back here when he gets stronger to do just that, a good way to get fast money, even if they are beginners. One or two may be worth picking up at that. Ahh, one person at a time.

WORDS: 416
NOTES: Playful banter

made by IMPULSE! of gangnam style

[Aurora]

so it is requested, so shall it be

Beautiful? Her? It was almost enough to cause her to laugh, if that were even possible at this point. A good maid doesn’t strive for beauty. A good maid is to be used, not to be looked at. She is a tool, not a piece of china. A rush of memories flood her at once. A small room, devoid of furniture. Heat grasping at her, and causing the uniform she was wearing to cling to her slender frame. Sweat trickling down the back of her neck and sending an icy shiver down her spine. An old woman with a scornful look on her face, a small switch in her hand. Words being tossed around flippantly about how lackluster she was, how incredibly plain she was. How no person would want to even talk to her. How her role is not for that anyways. The bitter warmth of tears rolling down her cheeks as she tried not to be hurt by the words. Releasing her grimoire, she moves a hand to her head. An aching pain echoed throughout it, and sent a pulse of numbness throughout her body. She could feel beads of sweat forming all over her body and could sense her heart rate increasing. Her breathing began to grow heavy. These were all things she didn’t want to recall… Not now at the least. Now wasn’t the time. A good maid keeps her composure… A good maid keeps her composure… She repeated the thought repeatedly, as if the chant would help. And, in time, she felt her tense body relax a little and she began to regain her calm. With a slight shake of her head slightly, she looked at the man and once again she spoke, “Is it not alright for me to take a stroll?” She asked half muttering, more to herself than anything. Was she in the wrong already? Perhaps she should’ve taken notes about the etiquette of other players before traipsing about on her own?

Nevertheless, she should answer the man- Decicode’s question. “I… I wasn’t really looking for anything.” Her words wavering slightly at the beginning, before clearing up right away (perhaps recalling the pain of a switch to the mouth when she failed with her words). Her cheeks were slightly pinked (whether due to the heat or the compliment, there is no sign), and her pale skin glistened slightly as she continued. “Perhaps a chance to level up a bit, Mister Decicode. That’s all. Am I too easy a target?” She asked, referring to the PKers, but the irony of the situation not apparent to her at all. This man seemed to have caught her off guard a bit with his words. She was disarmed at this point, but not entirely unawares. Still, she felt like this man wasn’t going to attack her. His words did, however, carry with them an odd sense of falsity. Perhaps it was just her imagination? It was so hard to tell what was real anymore, after all. Regardless, she brushed these thoughts away in anticipation of his response.

Word Count: 508
Notes: Thoughts in Green

aeron at thq

[Deleted]

He had often dealt with people that were mentally fragile, it came up a lot when you seek out people that are easily manipulated, and it happened even more often when you worked around people who were more obsessed with their appearance than a healthy person should be. Different causes in each case, but the reactions tended to be the same. However, for it to come up this quickly was a completely different matter, Aurora may be more damaged than he cared to deal with. It was this level of trauma particularly that took hold of his interest, and he felt the need to explore just what kind of thoughts went on in her head. One of the few things that managed to entertain him was the fragile psyche of his subjects. He found that studying such things helped him to speed up the process when it came to similarly weak minds, but he would need a bit more on Aurora if he was going to bring her under his control.

He watched her reaction, careful not to move too quickly, lest he snap her out of it. Aurora's delicate little hand moved quickly to her head, holding it as if something were going to burst out of it at any moment, eyes seemed a bit wide and pupils dilated for a moment as sweat began to form on her skin. Breathing becoming heavy, it seemed like a typical panic attack, yet she seemed able to calm herself down quickly enough, regaining her composure like someone who had gone through this enough times to know when to bring herself back. A mantra in her head maybe? or simply remembering a person or place that calmed her down? Never having gone through this sort of thing, he didn't have something of his own, or an opinion on what actually worked. Decicode decided to play it cool, ignore the moment of panic, though it would be difficult to say he didn't notice if she ever brought it up. Chances were he'd be safe from that for now, though.

Aurora's first words afterwards were muttered, yet he was still able to make them out. The response he thought of was overlapped by her slipping in another line before he could speak. From the next ones it was more evident that she'd been thrown off a bit after the small attack she suffered, stumbling over her first words, and her cheeks gained a more rosy appearance than the typical porcelain complexion she had before. He had to smile a bit at the situation he had lucked into, rising to his feet and abandoning the slimes that squished about on the ground. "Well, you aren't the most intimidating avatar around. Cute things are often mistaken for weak, after all. Your class is a pretty big target as well. Enchanters aren't the type to be out solo, since their attack spells are so weak and they are mainly supports. Now, if you had a big strong bodyguard around to scare them off, it might be a different story, Miss Aurora." Tapping the hilt of his sheathed sword, Decicode puffed out his chest to seem intimidating before giving her a little wink.

WORDS: 538
NOTES: 

made by IMPULSE! of gangnam style

[Aurora]

so it is requested, so shall it be

Something of an off-putting aura about him, that was for sure. Still, it reminded her all too well of the Chevaliers, and she couldn't help but feel drawn to his presence. Like a moth to a flame, if ever there was a metaphor for it. Still, his overly heroic attitude caused her some annoyance. Perhaps she’d be able to peg his true personality if she pried back? But was it even her right to do so? From the airs about him, this man was a noble. Or at the very least seemed very much like the heirs and heiress’ that attended the school she had been so ‘lucky’ to have gone to. Still, he had yet to order her around. It left her in somewhat of a state of confusion. “I…” She began, glancing over herself as she tries to piece together the words he had said. After the word cute she had felt her cheeks flush and had lost the ability to pay further attention to what Decicode had been saying. Someone like her wasn't meant to be cute, and she had initially winced in expectance of a bitter word of contempt (one that never came). “I’m not supposed to be intimidating…” Though, she should have realized the flaw in that when she chose such flashy looking clothing. She spoke softly, leaving out the rest of the response: nor am I supposed to standout at all. She hadn't really paid too much heed to any form of tutorial for the game beforehand, and therefore lacked the knowledge of how weak her class is at solo combat. In fact, all she really did was read the words “help others” and chose the class immediately. After all, that’s what a good maid would do. Help others.

Aurora had made a mistake. Something that was so very frowned upon in the real world. But this man didn't lash out at her. He didn't make any snide remarks about her lack of knowledge. Merely stated it as if it were fact. There was no beating, no yelling, nothing. For the third time since meeting this man, she was left somewhat confused. It sounded like he knew more than she did about the game. Or at the very least, he knew what she should be doing. “A bodyguard?” She had heard of the term before. Someone who defended those of high stature at the cost of their life. They were typically harshly trained and well paid. In a way, the job wasn't all too different than hers: service to those whom you call master, demanding work and difficult training. Still, she had never thought of herself as a person who’d ever have such a thing. “N-no!” She stammered quickly. “I don’t deserve such a thing. No, no.” She didn't know how to reply and stared at the ground in embarrassment for a moment. It was very odd being on this end of the niceties… “Ah.” She spoke, raising her voice as she continued. “B-but…” She didn't want to end on that note. She couldn't deny the man, heavens no. That wouldn't be what a good maid would do at all. A good maid is to make people happy. She looks at him, curtsying (the same curtsy she had been forced to perform over and over until every flaw that the head maid could notice was thoroughly gotten rid of) as she speaks “I-if you would have me… I could accompany you though.” After finishing the statement she smiled slightly, she was a good girl. She did what a good maid would do (or so she had so easily convinced herself of).

Word Count: 607
Notes: S&M

aeron at thq

[Deleted]

This was becoming a very fun one to mess around with. Aurora seemed easily thrown off guard when it came to compliments, even though he was throwing her simple ones like cute and beautiful. Honestly, this may end up being easier than he had anticipated a moment ago. Perhaps she was less attractive in person? A lot of ugly people enjoyed playing these games just for the enjoyment of not being themselves, which made the present predicament somewhat ironic. Escaping from the real world just to be trapped in the body that they made themselves to try and form their perfect selves. Whatever it was, Aurora's low self-esteem would be a key point to exploit if he wanted to get her to listen to his every command. She would also be a nice bit of arm candy for attracting others to him, but that would come just a bit later, after he found more possible starter servants.

She certainly wasn't intimidating, that was for sure, not with those little blue puff balls on her outfit. The tail was fascinating though, and he found it difficult not to question how it worked with her new body. Could she control it as if it were just another limb, or was it an involuntary action to make it wag or stay still? Refocusing, he gave her a nod at the comment, stating that she was not supposed to be intimidating. Perhaps she didn't think the class selection through enough, simply grabbing whichever one she thought looked the best at first glance, and taking the same method with her race. It would be difficult for him to act as a proper bodyguard at the moment, seeing as how he had not yet chosen a move for drawing the foes attention, and had little intention of doing so any time soon. His class may be made to tank, but it would simply be to help him play the role of a valiant defender of his servants to keep their faith strong. Again her lack of self esteem came to the forefront of her response, saying she was not worthy of having a bodyguard. The nervous stammering gave him little opening to respond, but he decided to let her finish speaking, letting a small lull in the conversation before speaking back.

With a soft pat on the head, he ruffled her hair slightly. "You sell yourself too short, Miss Aurora. A lady as delicate as you should have numerous men kneeling at her feet, ready to give their life in your defense." Decicode noted how smooth and proper her curtsy had been, well trained and practiced as if she had to do so multiple times in her daily life. She may already be well broken in as a servant, but it could just as well be from the life of a high society woman. The lack of confidence was out of place for such a thing, yet he didn't want to rule that out quite yet. "If that is the way you want to classify us, yes, you may accompany me. So please, put your faith in my shield and I'll keep you safe." He ended the line with a fist across his chest and a well practiced bow.

ENEMIES MET: Me~
WORDS: 543
NOTES: 

made by IMPULSE! of gangnam style