Warped Mirror [Valerie/Closed]

[Chain]

We'll chase the dawn that waits for us beyond the darkest sky Chain casually walked along the paths of Londinium with a carefree, slow pace. She had no goal in mind, just wasting her time away. There was nothing she had to do, and nothing she felt like doing. With her mind in such a primitive state, all she could do was act on her emotions, impulses, urges and needs rather than what she should to and wants to do. That being said, there was nothing stopping her from doing what she wanted, it was just that she didn't think of doing any recreation as her mind was not under any stress. She had already eaten, so her hunger was no longer a factor. She just carried on passing the time. She didn't feel like fighting monsters, so she would stay here for the meantime. Looking around, she glanced at the faces of those around her. When she spotted a male, she instinctively looked away and moved to avoid them. She didn't know why, but she did. Before losing her memory, she would have known perfectly well why and would have avoided showing it as obviously as she did. When seeing a female, she looked more cheerful as she passed by them willingly. Chain was wearing her white one piece dress adorned with blue flowers and tinted a light blue which was crafted for her by another player she was introduced to. She doesn't really remember who introduced her though, but she was happy with her purchase. She didn't understand consciously what it was she was wearing or what it was classified as, but subconsciously, she understood the linguistics and terminology of Elder Tale. Her dress was a Vanity clothing which she wore over her custom crafted armor of cloth. That being said, her armor was more like old-fashioned undergarments as it only barely covered her. There was a saying that the more skin it showed, the higher the armor rating was. With an actual armor that looked like a small dress for a child colored pure white with a small red bow on the chest, it looked more like the under dress for her vanity clothing, or at least something to wear to bed. Of course, unless some pervert was undressing her or her clothes were ripped in combat, they would not know she was wearing this. If Chain was still in her adult state of mind, she probably would have been quite self conscious. The skirt for her dress was rather short compared to what she use to wear. Not to mention, she use to wear shorts and pants in reality, almost never wearing a skirt for personal reasons. Turning a corner, the smell of food was nearby. With her stomach now tempted, Chain ran over delightedly, looking for something sweet or something hot to eat. It was a bit chilly out, after all. Back when the game started and she had only just lost her episodic memory, turning her into this childlike state, she had trouble eating and drinking. A player by the name of Mab helped her back then. Since then, Chain was more self-reliant, but it didn't change the fact that she barely knew anything. A clean slate, like the color white. Easily tainted, as it could also be interpreted. Thankfully, she hadn't met with anyone who could taint that white into black or red. Blue would be much more pretty on her, after all. Lightly walking along with her bare feet, the white haired girl found a stall which was selling a Japanese styled food, Takoyaki. It was still steaming, and looked absolutely delicious. Staring at it with a wide smile and innocent eyes, the player running the stall could only respond with a smile of his own. Handing over the money for the food, Chain received back her change. She had the calculation skills to count how much she needed, but she had trouble actually doing it now. So, she had learned that if she handed over a bunch of coins, the other person would give her back the extra. Thankfully, somehow due to a good judge of character, she hadn't been swindled yet. Finding a bench to sit down on, Chain sat there with glee as she prodded one of the takoyaki with the supplied stick, and brought it up to her mouth. With it still steaming, she stuck it straight in her mouth, only to have it burn. Trying to cool down her mouth, she accidentally spat it out. Looking at it on the ground, she looked like she was about to cry. She hadn't been taught how to eat hot food after all. never forget that the promise of tomorrow lies in your heart

[/font][/font] WORD COUNT; 750
| PARTY; Chain, Valerie
| NOTES; ---
| made by lafayel ♡ btn
| edited by Tarry ♡ LH[/ul][/td][/tr][/tbody][/table][/div]

[Valerie]

It was late afternoon when the small swashbuckler bounded into the city of Londinium. She was smiling as she strolled through down the green and gray streets, happy to be back in the city after a long day. Valerie has woken up early to go hunting and had just come back from the Greatwood Forest and was hungry from some good food. The hunt had gotten her enough cash to buy the thing Valerie loved most, meat. Valerie wandered the streets until her nose caught the scent of some type of meat and instinctively followed her nose to the booth, ignoring the angry looks of other adventurers and People of the Land as she darted through the streets and around people at full speed.

Her mouth watered as she approached to booth, quickly fishing out some money to pay for her food. As the owner of the shop placed the Japanese styled food in her hands, the girl’s face lit up, smiling brightly, making the shopkeeper laugh. But then something rather strange happened as the shopkeeper spoke to Valerie. “You’re just like your sister. She had that same expression when I gave her the food. A girl who looked just like you had come by earlier to buy Takoyaki as well.” He said kindly, smiling at the memory. This made Valerie bristle slightly, her smile dropped from her face and she looked around quickly for a girl that looked like herself but turned back to the shopkeeper with an odd look. I don’t have a sister. Who is he talking about? The swashbuckler thought. This could be really bad… and dangerous. The man just smiled, unaware of the thoughts going through the swashbuckler’s mind, thinking she was looking for her sister. “Oh, she’s right over there.” He said, pointing to a bench behind her where a girl sat, eating takoyaki, or rather burning herself with takoyaki. Numbly, Valerie thanked the man and looked over to the girl.

The girl on the bench looked quite similar to Valerie, same hairstyle, same face but with just a different color scheme, blue and white, black and brown. Her eyes were just a few shades lighter than Valerie’s own violet eyes and her hair was pure white while the swashbuckler’s was dark brown and could appear almost black in the night. She wore a white dress that was tinted light blue and her feet were bare. Their color scheme was completely different but everything else was the same, even the shopkeeper saw the similarities. How could she look just like me? The hair, the face, our eyes, everything…I don’t have a twin, hell, I don’t even have siblings… And this is how I look in real life. Does that mean that girl knows me in real life and copied me in this game? The girl panicked slightly as she tried to figure out why the girl in front of her looked almost exactly like herself. Her nails dug into her palm and she took a deep breath, calming herself and clearing her thoughts, then Valerie slowly walked up to the girl.

The white haired girl was looking down on the ground at a piece of fallen takoyaki that lay sadly on the ground and looked as if she was about to cry. It was rather strange, but Valerie’s look alike seemed to project a young child’s innocence that brought out the rarely seen caring side of Valerie. Timidly, the swashbuckler stopped near the girl and spoke in a soft voice. “Hello. Are you alright?” Valerie asked kindly, a light smile appeared on her face in an attempt to soothe the girl who was about to cry. She looked at the space beside the girl on the bench and turned back to her. “Do you mind if I sit here?” She asked, allowing the other girl to choose, not daring to sit down unless given permission. The swashbuckler didn’t dare make any sudden moves that may make the other girl feel threatened. It was rather strange but Valerie felt the need to get to know this girl and protect her. To get to know because they pretty much have the same face. And to protect because the other seemed so fragile and young, never to hurt.

Words: 711
Chain

[Chain]

We'll chase the dawn that waits for us beyond the darkest sky Being called out to, Chain slowly took her eyes off the fallen takoyaki to lay her eyes on the adventurer that had called out to her. At first, she tilted her head in response to what she said. Are you alright translated in her head to are you hurt. Not responding to it yet, Chain looked over the girl who had approached her. She had an appearance that matched her own, if not for the difference in color scheme. One in pure white and one in pitch black. Seeing that the girl with the same face was smiling, she didn't deem her as someone intimidating or to run away from. She was definitely curious as to why they had the same face since to Chain, Elder Tale was the real world. She didn't know that she was currently inside of a game. Upon being asked whether she could sit down next to her, Chain nodded slowly with a sullen look. Turning back to look at the fallen takoyaki, her heart dropped again at the sight of wasted food. She still have plenty in her packet, but she was one to dwell on the present rather than the future. Remembering that she was asked if she was alright, she turned back to the adventurer and stuck out her tongue, pointing at it. She was trying to say that it hurt. If she was a bit more experienced in talking and learned a few common phrases, her innocence would have probably led her to saying "can you kiss it better?". Thankfully, she didn't know that phrase. Putting her tongue back inside its cave, she started doing her best to convey what she wanted to say with the limited vocabulary she had. ｢Chain, here, hurt. Food yum, but... hurt me. Is food bad? bad? Chain?｣ Yet again, whatever she said always turned into a mess of words that she knew how to speak. But hopefully she at least managed to get her point across. She was still looking about ready to cry, as if she had just been betrayed by her food. Looking down at her now ruined takoyaki, she began pouting as she continued to watch. She would have been able to taste it briefly had it not burned her tongue and the roof of her mouth. And she hadn't bought herself a cold drink to wash it down with. If there happened to be an energy drink, it would have washed away the burn and the sorrow, but sadly that would take a long while for adventurers to craft in this world. If they ever did decide to attempt it with all of its artificial parts. Turning her face back to the adventurer, Chain closed her face in towards her, almost as if she was acting like a mirror. Slowly looking over the person, she distracted herself from her losses by sending her attention to something interesting. The person who had the same face. Tilting her head, she skimmed her eyes over Valerie for a while, getting to know what she looked like. They truly were one and the same aside from their differing eye colors and hair colors. At least on the appearance. As for what they wore, the contrast of white and black was rather fitting to a fault. The childlike Chain, despite being slightly taller, seemed like the little sister of the two with her baby face due to her 'innocent' demeanor. Soft face in comparison to the more mature looking 'older sister' in front of her. At least that was how it would appear to anyone inside the game. But Chain truly thought she was from the game. As for her real self... Angel, the mastermind behind Chain. The one who had locked herself away in chains in the depths of her own mind after she failed to take the pressure of developments in her life and then being tossed into such a game at the pinnacle of it. Her actual age was in the last year of high school, despite having a poor track record, which is understandable given her background. The person behind Chain who is probably the most mature and secure if not emotionless and cold person in reality, at least on the outside. The mess that was inside of her was now in the form of her game avatar, Chain. A clean slate for the meantime, but how will she develop given the interactions with those she meets? At least she didn't encounter a male player at this point. She probably would have tried murdering them if they had gotten this close. never forget that the promise of tomorrow lies in your heart

[/font][/font] WORD COUNT; 750
| PARTY; Chain, Valerie
| NOTES; Typing this up on my laptop as I'm away from my computer for several days. Sorry for any errors you find.
| made by lafayel ♡ btn
| edited by Tarry ♡ LH[/ul][/td][/tr][/tbody][/table][/div]

[Valerie]

Valerie’s look alike turned toward the voice that called out and looked up at the swashbuckler’s standing figure. The white haired girl seemed to take a while to process Valerie’s words but eventually, she nodded a bit of curiosity sparkled in the other’s eyes as she briefly looked over Valerie. Smiling softly at the girl, Valerie sat down beside her, leaving her enough room to not feel crowded and not too far that it seemed as if the swashbuckler was afraid of the girl. Soon after her look alike nodded, the white haired girl turned back to the takoyaki that lay on the ground, bringing the swashbuckler’s gaze to rest on it as well, not knowing what to do or say. Her mirror image’s eyes seemed to fill with tears, about to cry at the sad sight of wasted takoyaki, making Valerie panic slightly because she was afraid of crying children. Rather suddenly, the girl in the dress turned to face Valerie, making the swashbuckler jump slightly. The girl stuck out her tongue and pointed to it with her finger and muttered some words brokenly, not making any complete sentences. At first, Valerie didn’t know what she meant and just stared at her blankly, tilting her head to the side in mild confusion. Chain, food, hurt, bad… She thought, trying to pick out pieces of information from the other girl’s words. Chain, here… Perhaps Chain is her name… Valerie concluded from the other’s broken words. Hurt me. Is food bad…Oh yeah, she burnt herself… The swashbuckler remembered her other question and nodded in understanding. As she was about to speak, the other girl leaned over and peered into Valerie’s face, observing her. The swashbuckler froze, letting the other look at her closely, though it was not actually necessary to be that close. The dark haired girl watched her mirror’s light purple eyes dart over her features finding the differences and the similarities. Even she noticed the similarities. She thought to herself, mildly surprised that the innocent girl noticed such thing, given her difficulties in speaking. Valerie hummed lightly and smiled, questioning the other’s actions with a soft sound from the back of her throat. The swashbuckler was not really wondering what the other was thinking since she could tell by the other’s actions. “Is your name, Chain?” She asked softly and waited for an answer before thinking about how to continue. The other clearly liked the takoyaki but claimed it hurt her, which was probably because it burned her. The swashbuckler looked down into her own hands and saw how steam rose from the small balls of takoyaki. Valerie’s mind spun quickly, trying to find a way to help the girl in a way that she would understand and smiled when an idea came to mind. The dark haired girl carefully cut a piece of meat in half and picked up both pieces with two toothpicks. She blew softly on them to cool them down. As the steam seemed to disappear, Valerie smiled and held out a piece for her and moved the other to her own. She placed her own piece in her mouth and exaggerated a chewing motion and held up the remaining piece to the other girl’s mouth, hovering close but not touching. “No hurt now.” She said in a similar broken style in hopes that the other girl would understand and give the takoyaki another chance.Not waiting for the other girl to decide, Valerie used her free hand to stab another takoyaki, keeping the cooled piece of takoyaki in front of the other girl. The swashbuckler blew on her new piece and popped it into her mouth, smiling happily as she own stomach was being filled.

TAG: Chain | WORDS: 620 | NOTES: 

[Chain]

We'll chase the dawn that waits for us beyond the darkest sky With curiosity, sadness, hunger and sleepiness swirling inside of her, Chain just stared at her fallen takoyaki, not bothering to even acknowledge the existence of the rest of her takoyaki that sat beside her, slowly cooling down as they were exposed to the air. She wasn't rich, but she did have a fair amount of money stored away in the bank. How she got it there, it was one of those unconscious things you do without realizing it. She had at least enough to eat for several months and pay for a room on top of it, without needing to leave the safe zone. But her subconscious mind wouldn't let her laze around. Every day, she would get some practice with her weapon by fighting random monsters she encountered on her 'daily walks'. Putting a finger to her mouth, she began nomming it lightly while staring at her lost cause of a meal on the ground. Hearing her name called out, Chain turned to the adventurer sitting next to her and tilted her head. Pulling the finger out of her mouth, she pointed to herself with a half smile and spoke her name again, only once so as to not ramble random words again. Maybe one day someone would teach her how to talk. She has been in Elder Tale since the launch day, and yet she could still barely talk. Watching what the other side did, Chain watched as the steam came off the food, and then slowly dissipated as it was blown on. With one half being eaten by the swashbuckler, Chain watched the piece in front of her own face with eyes that were slightly afraid. Hearing the girl speak that it wouldn't hurt anymore, she opened her mouth and closed her lips around the takoyaki half. Sliding it off the toothpick, she began chewing as well. It truly didn't hurt this time, and the taste was great. Chain's cheeks looked similar to either a squirrel or those of a baby, the way they moved up and down with that soft look as she enjoyed the food. Chewing it well, she swallowed it after a while and looked ecstatic. Picking up her own container of takoyaki, she jabbed her toothpick into it and picked it up. Looking at the steam rising from it, she blew it once lightly. The steam barely moved at all, and it wasn't stopping. Doing it again a bit harder this time, she watched the steam move further this time, but there was still more. Repeating this until she noticed the steam start to disappear, she smiled brightly and then popped it into her mouth. A wonderful taste, one of the greatest things ever made. Or at least so she thought at this moment. Despite Chain's own language being rather broken, she was quite adept at understanding what others said. Her mind could process the languages she heard, but it couldn't output it in the same language since there were so many spinning in her head. Majority of the time, she would speak with each word being a different language, or she wouldn't speak at all. In those cases, she would just copy the words she heard others speak. Such as the time she met Mab, who taught her the wonders of sweet things like cakes. Eating a second one, Chain looked so happy doing so. Turning to the swashbuckler, she remembered something she needed to do. ｢Chain! Chain? Mab? Tobin?｣ Pointing to herself when she said Chain, she next pointed to the swashbuckler with the next few names she spoke. Those two names happened to be the only people she knew in Elder Tale. A year going and she had yet to get to know anyone. Whenever a guy would approach, she would run. And because of her appearance and demeanor, girls would rarely approach her as well. As for Landers, they tended to keep to their own business. Though that may be for the best overall, as Chain was easily influenced into doing things if she warms up to someone. After asking her question for a name towards the swashbuckler, she went back to cooling down her takoyaki and eating. Nothing would stop her from getting her fill. She would probably need to get a drink after eating all of these. Opening her mouth wide to pop another takoyaki into her mouth, she instead waited as her mouth stayed open, giving a long yawn. Finally popping the food into her mouth as she finished her yawn, she munched away at it a little slowly. never forget that the promise of tomorrow lies in your heart

[/font][/font] WORD COUNT; 750
| PARTY; Chain, Valerie
| NOTES; ---
| made by lafayel ♡ btn
| edited by Tarry ♡ LH[/ul][/td][/tr][/tbody][/table][/div]

[Valerie]

Valerie’s look alike turned away after staring at the swashbuckler and looked back at the fallen takoyaki. The white haired girl placed a finger in her mouth, nomming lightly while staring at the waster food. When Valerie asked her name, the other girl turned to her, tilting her head and pointed at herself, repeating her name. Okay, so her name is Chain. Valerie concluded, a smile appearing on her face. The swashbuckler cooled the takoyaki and held it out to Chain who looked at it nervously until the swashbuckler told her it didn’t hurt. Then Chain opened her mouth and ate the takoyaki, chewing on it happily, looking like a young child. Valerie smiled as the girl, rather amused by her actions when she stabbed one of her own takoyaki and copied Valerie, blowing on it until the steam disappeared and ate it happily.

The swashbuckler stabbed a piece of her own meat and popped it in her mouth, not minding as it burned her mouth slightly. Her expression soon became a mirror image of Chain’s, one of happiness, as her empty stomach was being filled. Though Valerie was enjoying the food thoroughly, the swashbuckler continued to watch the white haired girl out of the corner of her eyes, mildly worried about the other girl’s well-being. Suddenly, Chain spoke up saying some words along with her name, but never understandable sentences. Valerie’s dark brows furrowed, trying to understand the other girl. Mab… Tobin… Chain?... Are they names? The swashbuckler’s mind spun, trying to comprehend Chain. The girl had pointed at herself when she said her own name, but pointed at Valerie when she said the two other words. Mab and Tobin and probably names… Oh, She asking for my name! The girl realized and smiled at Chain. “Val.” She told the other girl, not bothering to say her full name considering it contained three syllables and Chain’s difficulty speaking.

After her question was answered, Chain went back to eating her takoyaki, making Valerie smile at her proudly like a mother. Turning back to her own plate of food, she continued to pop a few in her mouth, nomming happily until all her takoyaki was gone and her stomach was not crying out from hunger. The girl beside her yawned while she ate slowly. The swashbuckler took the time to look around the area for a booth that sold drinks. Valerie’s mouth was dry and still taste like takoyaki which was not very nice if one does not have takoyaki to fill their stomach but still tasted it. She spotted a drink booth and turned to Chain who was still munching on her takoyaki but was almost done. I could probably come back before she finishes. The girl thought to herself and placed her hand by her mouth, pretending a cup was in her hand and tilted her head back, imitating drinking a liquid before dashing off to the booth. She quickly grabbed two green teas and paid the shopkeeper then ran back, panting slightly. Valerie smiled slightly at Chain and handed her a drink, sitting down beside her again. The swashbuckler sipped from her green tea and sighed happily as the liquid moisten her mouth and washed out the remaining takoyaki taste.

Words: 542

[Chain]

We'll chase the dawn that waits for us beyond the darkest sky Munching slowly on the few takoyaki she had left in her packet, Chain went over the swashbuckler's name in her head. Val. A simple name. A nickname. Or at least a shortened version of a full name. Something that sounded better than Chain, but probably didn't have as much feeling or meaning behind it. Not that Chain actually knew why she had that name. Continuing to munch away at the takoyaki in her mouth, she savored the flavor of that fluffy batter that coated the octopus, and the sauces that were on it that enhanced the flavor. And then the tender, slightly chewy meat that was inside of it. It was a simple food, but delightful nonetheless. Swallowing after a while, she looked at her remaining takoyaki. She wanted to eat them, but they were getting a bit much to eat by themselves. As if the walls of her throat were coated in it and needed to be washed down. Feeling the gaze of the swashbuckler on her, Chain turned to face Val who has making a hand motion. She had seen this motion before, and it meant something to drink. Realizing it was a drink she needed, Chain nodded her head vigorously despite her fatigue. Watching Val run off to a booth, she simply watched her go there, then turned her head to the evening sky. It was overcast again, making it hard to tell what time of day it was. As she stared at the sky above, leaning back on the bench, Chain's face briefly looked like one that was more mature than her appearance, even more so than her actual age. It was the sort of face you would expect to see on someone who has experienced a long life, or at least a lot of hardships within a short amount of time. As the swashbuckler came back and offered Chain a drink, her face returned to the childish one it was earlier as she smiled, accepting the drink and taking a reserved swig. Feeling the liquid slide down her throat, the taste of takoyaki vanishing, she felt her throat clear up as the unsweetened tea reset her taste buds to a clean slate. Its warmth was also relaxing. Poking her toothpick into the next takoyaki, she popped it in her mouth and chewed it slowly, looking at the sky a bit tiredly with eyes that were less aware than earlier. It was probably getting close to Chain's bed time. She didn't have a set sleeping time, but found that she naturally, or unconsciously, tried to get to bed early, and then rise early. Swallowing the takoyaki, Chain took a sip of her green tea, holding it between both hands, staring at the cup. There were two takoyaki left in her packet. They had both cooled down to the point they were no longer steaming, so Chain popped the first one straight into her mouth and began chewing. Covering her mouth, she began yawning. It was not that she was particularly tired or fatigued, but more that her mind was shutting down. But she would at least remain awake in the presence of people. Just like in real life, she could never relax, never let her guard down no matter where she was. Chain, as she was now, didn't dream. She only felt a mix of emotions while asleep. As if only feeling the emotion of the image and unable to see it. It was unpleasant to say the least, but she couldn't help it, and so ignored it. To anyone who would watch her sleep, they would probably think differently. Finishing the takoyaki in her mouth, she took a large gulp of her green tea before starting on her final takoyaki. Munching it down, she washed it down with the last of her green tea and put the cup together with her now empty food packet, and looked around for a bin. Finding something that looked similar enough to one, she stood up and walked over to it, placing her rubbish inside and then standing there and looking around. It was like she was a bird, forgetting everything after taking three steps. Unsure of what to do next, she stood there and looked around. Go to sleep at an inn? Wander around? The only necessity her body had left to satisfy was the need to sleep, and so bed was probably the most likely. Walking back over to the seat, Chain looked at Val and spoke. ｢Chain, neru. Val, neyou?｣ With those other language words mixed in, it probably sounded like nonsense. never forget that the promise of tomorrow lies in your heart

[/font][/font] WORD COUNT; 750
| PARTY; Chain, Valerie
| NOTES; ---
| made by lafayel ♡ btn
| edited by Tarry ♡ LH[/ul][/td][/tr][/tbody][/table][/div]

[Valerie]

When the swashbuckler finished washing out her mouth, she started talking small sips from her drink. Valerie watched Chain drink a little bit while she continued munching on her takoyaki. A light chuckle left her lips when the white haired girl’s eyes seemed to fill with sleep, remembering the other’s long yawn earlier. It was not very late according to the brown haired swashbuckler, but she loved staying up late into the night. She sipped her green tea until it was gone while watching Chain eat and drink tiredly, yawning a few time. Valerie’s dark violet eyes filled with concern as it seemed as if the other was about to slump to the side and fall asleep. The swashbuckler didn’t have a place to take Chain since she was only staying in the forest at night or in unoccupied buildings which were rather dangerous.

The other girl finally finished her takoyaki and her green tea, then stood up. Valerie watched the other girl curiously but laughed at herself when Chain placed her empty food packets and cup in the garbage bin while her own empty containers still rested in her hands. The swashbuckler darted up and dashed past Chain, throwing out her garbage then settling back into her seat in record time. The younger looking girl seemed to be lost right after throwing out her garbage, looking around before coming back to the bench. Chain spoke again, but Valerie only understood two words, Chain and Val, and that the white haired girl had asked a question. Not knowing how to respond, the dark haired swashbuckler tilted her head to the side in slight confusion, her brows furrowed above her eyes, questioning the other girl. The automatic translating system had not changed the other’s words while Valerie was sure that is was a language that she did not understand. It was probably too random to be translated, the swashbuckler thought to herself, remembering the previous statements Chain had uttered.

Words: 328
OOC: sorry I didn't really know what to write

[Chain]

We'll chase the dawn that waits for us beyond the darkest sky When Val tilted her head, Chain tilted her in the same direction, wandering what was so confusing. All she had said was Chain, sleep, Val sleep? Chain's language was set to English, and she hadn't added an optional languages as it would have been a pain. The automatic translation system probably thought she was speaking English the entire time, probably. It probably wouldn't be able to handle her speaking full sentences anyway, as a multitude of words all from different languages would be spoken. Understanding that Val was unsure of what she said, Chain decided to imitate it like others had done for her when she was confused. Learning by example and vice versa, it seems. Without words this time, Chain pointed to herself and then put her hands together beside her head, tilting her head, imitating going to sleep. Next, she pointed at Val, repeated the action, and then put a finger to her chin, tilting her head as if wondering, thinking, or questioning. For someone that had trouble speaking and relating to others, it was a bit of an odd sight to see Chain doing these actions which weren't exactly child-like. It was more of a role reversal as if she was the older one now. Though, in reality, their ages were pretty much the same. Their real appearances were different at the least, even if they were so similar in the game. Yawning again, Chain slumped on the bench as she looked at the night sky. Even acting the way she was now, she had an air of elegance, or refinement about her. A mysterious person with conflicting personality, attitude and actions. After staring up for a while, she started humming a song. It seemed like a lullaby, and with no words, it was hard to tell what the song was. In real life, Chain had only really listened to the song a few times while gaming or browsing the internet. She wasn't exactly a musician either, but she knew enough about singing to not be terrible. Stopping at a random point, Chain turned back to Val. Chain would probably head back to her inn room to sleep, and her subconscious was on guard in regards to sleeping in the presence of another. So she would sleep alone, that was for certain. But what about meeting this person again? She had yet to meet Mab or Tobin again, who were the only two on her friends list. Adding each other to their friends list would probably be the first step. Thinking this, Chain manipulated her menu autonomously, entering the friends list and adding a new name. But it didn't work. After all, Val was just a shortened version. Tilting her head confused, Chain tried a few more times but it still failed. Closing the menu, she turned to Val. ｢Chain, Val, can't be tomodachi? Friends? Not working...｣ She looked quite disheartened at the fact she couldn't add her new acquaintance to her friends list. She had at least given her own name, so Chain's name could still be added, then she would only need to accept the friend request. never forget that the promise of tomorrow lies in your heart

[/font][/font] WORD COUNT; 500
| PARTY; Chain, Valerie
| NOTES; That's alright. Besides if they meet the next day, I'm out of ideas for what could go on now =P
| made by lafayel ♡ btn
| edited by Tarry ♡ LH[/ul][/td][/tr][/tbody][/table][/div]

[Valerie]

As Chain mirrored the swashbuckler’s actions, tilting her head to the side causing her white hair fall over her shoulder like Valerie’s own. The similarities still caused the girl shock considering it was like looking into a reverse mirror. The white haired girl seemed to realize what Valerie was confused about and began to motion out her thoughts. The girl pointed to herself before she put her hands together, placing them next to her head, and tilted her head slightly. Then she pointed at the swashbuckler, repeating the motion once more before placing a finger to her chin and tilted her head as if she was wondering or thinking about something. One of her movements was the same motion that Valerie would have used to describe sleep in a game of charades with her friends. “Oh.” She breathed out, realizing what Chain was trying to express.

“Uh…” The swashbuckler started but never continued. The girl didn’t know what to say or do that would be easiest for the girl to understand in simple terms. Valerie was not planning to go to sleep anytime soon and was not the least bit tired. She looked at Chain, who had yawned again and slumped down onto the bench tiredly, staring up into the sky. Valerie’s dark violet eyes followed Chain’s lighter ones and gazed into the night sky, trying to count the stars in the sky. The white haired girl began to hum softly to herself. It was like a lullaby, rather soothing to listen to, making Valerie’s mind drifted into the night, becoming like the darkness of the sky with thoughts like the small specks of light that seem to disappear and appear randomly. The swashbuckler allowed herself to be lulled by the song, when the song suddenly stopped, causing Valerie to abruptly turn toward Chain with a questioning expression.

The girl jumped slightly when the other girl had also turned at the same time, causing Valerie to feel as if she was staring into a mirror, still startled. The white haired girl opened her menu and began to fiddle around with the controls, seeming to be confused with something and moved to face the swashbuckler. The words, Chain, Val, can’t be, friends, and not working, as well as something else she didn’t understand left the other girl’s mouth. Valerie sat back for a moment, trying to piece the other’s words together before slapping her forehead for being stupid and not realizing what Chain had said. But instead, the swashbuckler opened up her own menu and sent a friend request to her pale twin who went by the name, Chain. According to the interface, the girl was a level sixteen half-Alv Bard, quite a bit higher than Valerie. Though the swashbuckler didn’t know much about Bards, but she knew that they were the only class which could use musical instruments to fight. She was rather curious about what instrument Chain played and was interested in watching the girl fight, considering her level and class.

“My full name is Valerie.” The swashbuckler explained slowly, making sure every word was properly articulated. “Val is a nickname.” She added quickly, explaining why she had introduced herself as Val instead of Valerie. She relaxed into the bench and stared up into the night sky once again, counting stars and breathing the cooler night air. The swashbuckler had always preferred the night, in real life and in game. The cool night breeze may cause others to shiver but it relaxed Valerie instead. She preferred the passive beauty of the night compared to the blazing sun in the daytime, for it was too strong for her.

Words: 608

[Chain]

We'll chase the dawn that waits for us beyond the darkest sky Seeing the friend request box pop up in front of her, Chain looked at the written language that said "Valerie has sent a friend request. Accept? Yes/No". For a few seconds, she looked at the words displayed in front of her. Without much thought, he mouth opened. ｢Valerie has sent a friend request. Accept, Yes, No.｣ With perfect pronunciation and without stopping, she read out what was in front of her with perfect English in a sort of automated voice. Several seconds after saying that, she presses her slim finger to the accept button, adding the swashbuckler to her almost empty friends list. Closing her entire menu, there was nothing displaying on her screen. No HUD, no names or health above other players, nothing. Just like it would be in real life. Tilting her head with a smile, she nodded a few times to her new friend, as if saying thanks. ｢Valerie, merci por ser meine tomodachi. I am hěn beatus.｣ With a more poised look, Chain spoke this just as she did when reciting the friend request. However, the words coming out of her mouth were jumbled. Because her head coul no longer separate the languages within her head, this was the result. French, Spanish, German, Japanese, English, Chinese and Latin. All those languages came out in that single sentence, when all she wanted to say was "Valerie, thanks for being my friend. I am very happy." She tried to honestly speak to people back when she first started playing, but because most people got confused or angry at her after she kept speaking like that, she ended up stopping her talking and began avoiding people altogether. She essentially had to re-learn how to speak. The automatic translation system obviously wouldn't be able to handle sentences spoken in several languages, it was simply beyond what it would be programmed to do. Bowing to Valerie, and having spoken 'properly' to prove she trusts her new friend, Chain began walking off in one direction where she had an inn room to stay at. She would eventually buy her own house, or make one using her woodcrafting class if she ever figured out how to do it. If her mind was a bit more lucid, she could probably handle building a house over the course of a few weeks. Walking barefoot down the paths, she made her way towards an inn she had become familiar with. Entering, she walked up to the Lander at the counter, smiled as usual, and handed over the money for the room as per usual. Heading up to the room, she unequipped her vanity clothing, leaving her cloth armor on as it pretty much looked like summer pajamas. Blowing out the lamp light, she laid in bed. What would the next day bring? One thing was for sure. It was going to be another unpleasant dream for the night. But at least Chain could think back to the friend she had just made today, and use that as a deterrent to whatever it was that troubled her dreams. Hoping for a better day the next day, as always and usually disappointed, she went to sleep. Maybe she could meet her new friend again. Her doppelganger. never forget that the promise of tomorrow lies in your heart

[/font][/font] WORD COUNT; 500
| PARTY; Chain, Valerie
| NOTES; Wanna skip to the next day and have them both outside in the forest fighting monsters? Then Chain can demonstrate her 'flipside'.
| made by lafayel ♡ btn
| edited by Tarry ♡ LH[/ul][/td][/tr][/tbody][/table][/div]

[Valerie]

The swashbuckler watched Chain stare at the friend request that appeared on an interface in front of her. After a few seconds, the girl read it out loud with perfect pronunciation. Valerie stared at the white haired girl, her mouth dropped open and her eyes were wide from shock. All this time, the swashbuckler had thought that the girl had the mental capabilities of a young child, but here was the same girl reading out the friend request as if she was the same age as Valerie. Chain tapped the accept button and the interface disappeared as the girl nodded toward the swashbuckler, thanking her. Valerie quickly composed herself and smiled in return, her face still slightly pale. All of the Bard's previous actions played in her mind, providing the swashbuckler with more proof that Chain was not as young as Valerie thought. Her movement, expressions and her level. It was clear that the Bard only had some trouble speaking in only one language while her mind seemed to comprehend things as Valerie would. Heck, the girl could probably understand Valerie if she spoke normally instead of simplifying everything.

Chain spoke again, saying Valerie's full name along with a string of different words in multiple languages. She had recognized some of the words. Merci was French for thank you and hěn was Chinese for emphasising something. She had recognized tomodachi from their previous topic about friends and assumed the bard was thanking her for the friend request from the few words she understood. Smiling, she moved close to the other girl and wrapped her arms around the other's thin body, hugging Chain before pulling away with a small smile on her face. "Thank you." She said softly to Chain, hoping the other would understand.

The Bard bowed to Valerie and began to walk away. She had not signaled for the swashbuckler to follow, so the dark haired girl did not and watched her white figure disappear into the night. When Chain's outline disappeared, Valerie looked back up into the sky, thinking about the reason the other girl had bowed before leaving. Back in the real world, one of her close friends had brought her to Korea once and Valerie had noticed that many people often bowed to each other in greeting or parting, which was what the swashbuckler eventually concluded with. It didn't really surprise the girl considering the many languages Chain seemed to mix up in her words.

Soon, the streets began to empty as people settled back into their homes for the night and Valerie opened up her interface to check the time. It was a few minutes after midnight and only one or two people were lurking around, so the girl stood up and heading to the border of the city. The swashbuckler kept herself in the shadows as she entered the forest, searching for a tree to settle in for the night. She spotted a large oak like tree and climbed into its higher branches and leaned against its trunk. She wasn't really tired but the girl knew she needed to rest to stay alert during the day. Valerie closed her eyes and fell asleep.

~~~~~~~~~~

The swashbuckler's eyes flashed open and her back stiffened when she heard the sounds of people talking in the distance. "Ugh." The girl groaned quietly to herself, closing her eyelids against the blinding sunlight. Sighing softly, she sat up straight and stretched like a cat before sighing again in relief as the tension left her body. Valerie opened her menu and tapped through her inventory, pulling out an apple and munched on it quietly. Since she was already in the forest, the swashbuckler might as well start the day with some hunting before heading back to the city for lunch.

As the voices faded away, Valerie began to climb down the tree and jumped down from its lowest branch, landing in a crouch. The girl straightened up and began to walk silently in the forest like any other adventurer who was wandering in the forest. Her ears caught the sounds of rustling bushes and whorled around to face the sound, her hands dropping down to the hilts of her daggers. A small bush shook slightly as if a small animal was in it as she heard the rustling sound again. The swashbuckler darted behind a nearby tree and poked her head out to watch the bush, hoping it was not a high leveled monster. She almost let out a cry of relief when two dull green slimes slid out, but bit her lip to keep silent. Valerie drew her daggers and dashed toward the monsters, swiping her blades through the green blobs. She lifted her leg and kicked them both into the tree she had hidden behind, making them splat against the tree trunk. A satisfied grin appeared on her face as she darted close and slashed the monsters, creating an X pattern on the tree as her daggers passed though the slimes. The creatures disappeared into anima as the monsters' health bars both emptied. Ew.Disgusting creatures. She thought to herself as a screen popped up in front of her, indicating the addition of two Boiled Slime Sludges. She tapped the screen away, looking around for more monsters, before sheathed her weapons when none were spotted.

There were probably no monsters left in the area as if sank back into silence. The girl opened her menu to check the time and it appeared to be a few hours before noon, and closed before scaling up a nearby tree. Some adventurers go out in the morning to hunt monsters and it was a good time for Valerie to watch other people fight. She had taken up the routine of watching other people fight, learning their fighting styles and the monsters' fighting styles. The swashbuckler smiled to herself as she had reached the middle of the tree and walked on the branches, balancing like a gymnast. It was a simple task for her since she danced in real life and had done gymnastics when she was younger. Valerie moved through the trees, swinging and jumping from branch to branch. It was something she always wanted to do in real life, climbing trees, but her parents would never allow her to because of the danger of falling. However, here in Elder Tale, when one dies, they are simply revived at the cathedral just like the game.

After a few minutes, the girl had not spotted any monsters or players, so she head toward the main road and sat down on a low branch of tree, waiting for players to pass by. Valerie sighed softly, rather impatient about waiting for other players to appear and tried to recall the lullaby that Chain had hummed the night before. Getting the basic melody of it, she hummed it quietly to herself, adding some other notes to fill in some empty spots, creating a fuller song. She closed her eyes and a gentle smile appeared on her face as she created a dance to it, flowing along with the melody. It was rather a simple dance, full of turns and elegant, smooth movements. The kind of dance Valerie loved to make and dance to.

Words: 1208
OOC: I have no idea how I did this...

[Chain]

We'll chase the dawn that waits for us beyond the darkest sky Waking up with a slight sweat, Chain got up off the stiff bed and walked over to the dresser, leaning on it and looking in the mirror on top of it. Seeing her own face reflected in it, it took her a while to believe it was herself. Her expression was hard, emotionless, cold. As her mind started to wake up, her expression softened and turned back into that childish one. Most mornings were like this. Manipulating her menu, she re-equipped her armor she already had on to 'refresh' it, and then put on her vanity clothing. She could find a stream to bathe in later in the day after she had done her training, which would probably be hunting again. Heading downstairs to the food side of the inn, she went up to the counter and put money down, the same amount as always for the same meal she always got. Sitting down at a wooden table, Chain waited there sort of sleepily as the meal came out. The waitress mentioned how she was up a bit later than usual. Tilting her head at this, she wondered what the time was. It was somewhere around nine in the morning, compared to the seven she usually wakes up. Looking at the meal in front of her, it was a hot meal of eggs, sausages, bacon, cooked tomatoes, potatoes and some boiled cabbage. Wasn't exactly what was on the menu, but Chain had asked for it enough times that they let her get away with her special meal, especially since she was always ate there every day. A loyal customer, so to speak. Stabbing her fork into some meat and cutting it with her knife, she began her meal. To save the boring details, it was a tasty meal that Chain loved, and she finished it in about ten minutes. Having finished her meal, her face looked more awake and cheerful now, back to the innocent way it was. Taking her dishes up to the counter, she left them there and waved the Landers goodbye as she left. Breaking into a quick jog, Chain made her way to the exit of Londinium. Upon getting there, she stopped her jog and began walking again, humming the same tune as the night before. This time, she actually sang the words since there was no one around. She had the ｢Hearing Aptitude｣ skill which made it easier to tell if anyone was around, but she was focusing on listening out for some monsters to hunt. After she finished the song, she stumbled upon a bunch of flowers that looked nice, inside the forest. Sitting down by the flowers, she touched them for a while, admiring them. After a couple of minutes, a low thud could be heard, slowly moving closer. Remaining seated, Chain listened with her ears, closing her eyes. The source of the sound was getting closer. Without turning her head, she pulled out her violin and readied it into the correct playing position. On top of that, her one handed katana with a white scabbard appeared on her left hip. It had the same blue tint as her dress. Just as the Lesser Soil Golem Level 12 appeared, Chain started playing a ｢tune｣. This was the activation of ｢Speed Sword Etude｣. With it activated, she stood up to face the Golem which was just about in range of her next skill. With a bit of prediction, she started the next one so it would affect the golem just as it got in range since the animation time would take a second or two. ｢Ballad of the Gullible Snail｣. As the golem came within 10m, the ｢violin｣ began its next piece. Giving it a few seconds to take effect, Chain put the violin away in her quick slot after the skill had activated. Drawing her katana from its sheath, she pointed it at the golem with both one hand on the hilt. The other hand remained behind her, like counter-balance. The moment her eyes locked on to her target, her eyes and expression suddenly changed. There was no charm left, only a cold expression, one looking ready to kill without any qualms about it. Her entire body also tensed up, preparing for what was to come, as if it had been through this a multitude of times before. Bending her knees, she kicked off the ground with rapid speed and struck the golem in its chest. It wasn't very effective, as it had a resistance to physical attacks. The black blade of her katana was emanating a black from it, as it was enchanted with the dark element. It was still a physical attack, but that slight elemental kick to it was sure to help out. Having stabbed the golem, Chain was now in front of the opponent which had raised its arm up to swing down at her. Her mind rushing, she calculated her next several moves. She had slowed it down, and increased her own attack speed. Not to mention, her accessory was increasing her movement speed. With sword in her right hand, she pulled it out like a pin point, but not to her right but to the left side of her body. Using that slight momentum, she twisted her body to the left and kicked off the ground, performing a backflip without touching the ground with her hands, landing flat on her feet with knees bent, hands to either side. Kicking off the ground once against, she slashed her blade into the golem from the side, running past it instead of staying in the same spot. Her movements were more acrobatic, or rather fluid than anything else. Each movement connected to the next. If her weapon bounced off, she spun around and struck on the opposite side. With her body movements, she ran towards the side of the golem rather than straight at it, aiming to cut it as she went by, using her mobility to its best against this sluggish enemy. The effect of her song was about to run out as well. She needed to deal as much damage as she could. Her own health had gone down by about 10-15% while the golem was sitting around 50% now. Repeating her movements, Chain did her best as her bare feet dug into the dirt ground with every change of direction. A sort of slash and dash method that most adventurers probably wouldn't do. Charging forward, the golem suddenly struck directly towards her. Kicking off the ground both forward and sideways, she kept her frontal momentum while pushing up and tilting her body so that the attack passed under her. Rolling along the arm of the golem, Chain had lost her advantage and balance as the golem's debuff had worn off. Stabbing the arm before pushing off it with her hands, she landed on her back to the side of the opponent. Not wasting any time, she rolled backwards and jumped to her feet, narrowly avoiding a follow up attack. But this would end it. Charging directly into the golem, she used another skill. ｢Elegant Act｣. Moving behind the golem, she unleashed a flurry of slashes in a circular motion, spinning around with her body to carry out the slashes repeatedly. As the final attack of the motion landed, the golem fell backwards and burst into nothingness. Chain's remaining HP left was around 38%. Sheathing her weapon, her cold and bloodthirsty eyes vanished, and her expression returned to innocence again. Her body no longer stiff, she fell down to her knees and sat there, back in the same spot with the flowers. never forget that the promise of tomorrow lies in your heart

[/font][/font] WORD COUNT; 1250
| PARTY; Chain, Valerie
| NOTES; gj on getting that many words xD
| made by lafayel ♡ btn
| edited by Tarry ♡ LH[/ul][/td][/tr][/tbody][/table][/div]

[Valerie]

The dark haired girl finally made her decision and hopped down from her branch and ran deeper into the forest. The area was rather empty with little obstacles which didn’t quite matter when the swashbuckler started dancing since she would automatically go around or over it. For preventative measures, Valerie activated the level one dancer skill, [Pacifying Dance], which changed the nature of nearby monsters. The girl stood still for a moment and hummed the tune to herself before activating the skill by starting the dance. Her body wove through the trees, leaping over short shrubs as the dancer’s body flowed with the lovely lullaby that filled the forest. Valerie vocalized the melody, not having any words to sing along to, as she danced and allowed herself to sink into the thrill and freedom and dancing. A peaceful expression appeared on her face the moment she started dancing, just as she had in real life. Valerie had loved dancing then and now, being in world of Elder Tale could not change her love for dancing and music.

As the dance ended, the girl slowed to a stop and bowed to her surroundings in habit. As she sank back down into reality, Valerie head the faint sound of a violin in the distance and without another moment, the swashbuckler scaled the closest tree and moved toward the sound. The closer the dark haired girl went the louder a strange thumping was. Valerie had no idea what it was, perhaps it was a really large monk who was fighting but it was rather strange as it was paired with the beautiful violin. A monk and a bard in a one vs. one fight would be a strange one to see, and the swashbuckler hurried toward the sound. Soon enough, a large level twelve golem appeared, walking in the direction of the music. Her violet eyes widened at the sight, horrified and amazed. She had never seen a golem before and was quite sure it could probably kill her in one hit.

Wary of the monster, Valerie went around the golem, remaining high in the trees in search for the violin. The first song faded, causing the swashbuckler to falter slightly, not sure which way to go, but kept moving as another song start. Before long, the musician appeared and the swashbuckler’s jaw dropped and her violet eyes widened. It was Chain, Valerie’s doppelganger that she had met last night. The bard was standing in front of the incoming golem, playing the violin as if inviting the golem to come closer. After doing some mental calculations with the bard’s level and the monster’s level, the swashbuckler assumed the white haired girl understood what she was doing. Hopefully, Valerie wouldn’t have to step in, although she probably wouldn’t do much to help.

As the song ended, Chain put away her instrument and pulled out a black katana that hung from her left hip. It had a black blade that seemed to have an aura of its own, projecting dark waves. The moment the bard’s light violet eyes caught the golem, the innocent expression and exterior disappeared, leaving a cold and calculating predator. To be completely honest, the swashbuckler wasn’t too surprised by the other girl’s change. Valerie, herself, is drastically different when fighting and most people are different in a fight. Chain held the curved Japanese weapon with one hand and her other behind. It slightly reminded Valerie of her band conductor back in high school, holding a baton like instrument and his remaining hand behind his back.

The swashbuckler slowly settled herself down onto a branch to watch the fight below. The white haired girl began to dance around the large monster, flipping around like an acrobat and moving around the golem fluidly. Chain continuously attacked the monster until it burst into colourful bubbles and floated up into the sky. The Bard sheathed her weapons and her previous expression disappeared, becoming innocent once more and fell down into a small patch of flowers. The swashbuckler smiled to herself and started climbing down her tree. When she reached the bottom, Valerie called out to her look alike. “Hello Chain. It’s Val.” She greeted in a soft voice, hoping not to startle the other girl. The dark haired girls slowly approached the Bard and plopped down beside the girl and brushed her hand over the flowers. “They’re really pretty.” Valerie commented softly, a soft smile appearing on her face.

Words: 744

[Chain]

We'll chase the dawn that waits for us beyond the darkest sky Looking at the flowers, Chain was only partly paying attention to her surroundings. If anything, she was halfway between her innocent self and her bloodthirsty self. Subconsciously prepared for combat, in case something else appears, her body was just being guided in a direction by the innocent self, which had decided to look at the flowers. With the white scabbard of her black-bladed katana attached to her hip and resting on the ground, she kept her left hand on it. Leaning forward to touch the flowers, she was nearly done playing around. After admiring them for a while longer, she would need to get back to her morning training. Her health was nearly recovered as well since she had been out of combat for a bit. Next target would probably be a plant type, since she had a passive bonus against them. With her mind processing her future actions, the voice calling out to her drew her attention. Head spinning in the direction of the voice, Chain's face hardened with killing intent as she glared at the approaching person, just about to draw her weapon. After her eyes got adjusted to the person in front of her, Chain's face softened again as her persona took precedence. The adventurer in front of her was the swashbuckler she met the day before and ate with. They added each other to their friend lists before they parted to go sleep. Staying in her sitting position on her knees, Chain gave a simple response. ｢Val! Ohayo morning!｣ As usual, her language was broken, but at least she was sounding cheerful, if a bit monotonous. Waving to her friend, Chain tilted her head casually as Valerie touched the flowers. Hearing what she had to say about them, Chain turned to the flowers and nodded slowly. She may be nodding, but Chain's expression was a bit distant, if not melancholy. She did not know why herself, but that was what she felt. Similar to how her dreams made her feel. If it was Angel instead of Chain right now, she may have said something philosophical. Standing up, Chain brushed off her backside, despite a fair amount of her dress already being dirty from her tumbling around on the battlefield. Her blue tinted white dress was stained brown in some places, but nothing a quick re-quip wouldn't fix. Not that she would be doing it right now. ｢Val, Chain, both train?｣ With another broken phrase, Chain attempted to ask the swashbuckler if she was out hunting and wanting to party with her. Regardless, Chain would head out. Despite not having a berserker subclass, she definitely got stronger the more damage she took. Or rather, more fierce. She would continue to battle no matter the adventurer's decision. Looking at Val with a happy face and tilted head, Chain kept a hand on her sword. She would have used her scythe, but after slashing up a friend previously with it, she subconsciously wouldn't wield it, especially around someone she considered a friend. never forget that the promise of tomorrow lies in your heart

[/font][/font] WORD COUNT; 500
| PARTY; Chain, Valerie
| NOTES; Gah... I couldn't think of what to put.
| made by lafayel ♡ btn
| edited by Tarry ♡ LH[/ul][/td][/tr][/tbody][/table][/div]

[Valerie]

Valerie froze slightly when she saw Chain’s expression when the Bard spun around, but as her light violet eyes seem to take in the swashbuckler, her expression softened, recognizing Valerie. Chain greeted the dark haired girl cheerfully with her mismatched words and waved before she nodded in agreement to the swashbuckler’s statement about the flowers. Valerie was still in mild shock from the expression on Chain’s face when she spun around. It wasn’t the Bard’s reaction that surprised her, but the pure killing intent that was emitted from the simple expression. The swashbuckler wondered if she had the same expression and aura when surprised by others. People in the real world had often commented about Valerie’s terrifying presence when spooked or getting to know strangers while she had a habit of pulling up a killing intent when wary. Since she had avoided interacting with many people in Elder Tale, she had no idea if the effect still lingered from her past, but seeing Chain’s expression made her realize how terrifying she could possibly seem to others.

Valerie simply sat for a moment, staring at the flowers, but her expression distant while her mind wandered. The girl had noticed the Bard’s withdrawal compared to yesterday’s encounter. It had been only a few hours since they had last seen each other, but the white haired girl seemed much older today. Perhaps it was from seeing Chain fight the golem, or seeing her dangerous expression. Or maybe the girl simply wasn’t much of a morning person and was still tired. A nice black coffee seemed like a great idea to the swashbuckler at the moment as her own eyelids fluttered tiredly. It was a habit to start her day with coffee in the real world, but it was not needed in Elder Tale. However, a habit was still a habit.

The other girl stood up rather suddenly, dusting off her light blue dress from sitting on the ground. Valerie looked up at Chain blankly, blinking a few times and wondered why she had stood up. Maybe the other girl sensed another monster, but the swashbuckler’s question was answered when the Bard asked a question in only English, no other mixed languages, which, thankfully, made it unbelievably easier to understand Chain. Valerie smiled brightly, reflecting the other girl’s expression, and jumped to her feet, nodding. “I would love to.” She said, relieved to finally understand the Bard’s words, or rather, hopefully understood it.

Valerie automatically dusted off her clothes though they were not very dirty from sitting on the ground. The girl’s dark violet eyes darted around, scanning the area to search for a good direction to move. Some place where there would be some monsters that give a good fight. She was rather unsure which way to go and smiled sheepishly at Chain. “Can you lead?” She said softly. It would probably be a good idea to follow the Bard considering her level and experience and she trusted the girl enough to follow without questioning, unless it was a dungeon because that would just be silly for a level one like Valerie.

Words: 519

[Chain]

We'll chase the dawn that waits for us beyond the darkest sky Being asked to lead, Chain nodded with a happy smile as she glanced around for a minute or so, thinking. With her heightened senses, she was looking around for a monster she could fight, one that would be easy prey for her. That way, if her party member was in trouble, she could jump in and protect her. Assuming she didn't lose control of herself again when she brandished her weapon. Not finding anything in the immediate area, she looked disheartened for a second, but brightened up again as she manipulated her menu and sent the party request to the swashbuckler. After sending it, Chain started walking in a random direction, closer towards the lower level fields where there should be simple monsters. After several minutes of walking, she found something worth fighting. Coming out into an open field, there were plenty of slimes around. They were simple level 1-5 monsters, so Valerie could still fight on par, and the numbers made it good enough physical training for Chain. Though it wasn't as experience heavy as the golem she fought, she didn't mind. In fact, she didn't choose targets based on experience, but difficulty. Walking into the open field for a while, she switched over to her violin. It was still the one she was given as a new player, and quite worn down after a whole year of use. If she could find someone to craft her a new one, she would get it done. Or make it herself if she every got around to doing it. Standing in the middle of the field, Chain stood in a violinist's standing pose and put the bow to the strings, opening with a simple song. Applying some of her mana to it, a skill activated. And since mana was being used, the slimes began to converge on her. It didn't take long for a couple of them to make their way around her feet, and slowly start to climb up her, but she didn't seem to mind. In fact, it was more like she had zoned out, as she had a solemn, somewhat forlorn and distant expression. To the guys who would be seeing this, they would probably be enjoying the sight of the slimes crawling up her body. Personally, she wasn't paying attention to them. Not that she, with her innocent mind, could fathom what the problem was. Playing the ｢Speed Sword Etude｣, Chain applied the buff to her party member, to let her do the fighting. If the Bard wanted to, she could blast away the slimes that were too close to her, but it wouldn't help if she were being drowned in them, which was likely to happen soon without help. Since she was focusing on playing her music, she wasn't exactly in a position to start kicking them off her, so with a glance to Valerie, Chain requested assistance in plucking them off. The attention was on the bard, but she didn't have their aggro, so any damaging attacks would gather their hate. Shouldn't be too much of a problem, though. never forget that the promise of tomorrow lies in your heart

[/font][/font] WORD COUNT; 500
| PARTY; Chain, Valerie
| NOTES; Sorry for the late response. Got lazy, and Uni just started up again. EDIT: Accidentally posted on wrong character
| made by lafayel ♡ btn
| edited by Tarry ♡ LH[/ul][/td][/tr][/tbody][/table][/div]

[Valerie]

The Bard nodded at Valerie’s request and looked around the area for a moment. The Swashbuckler waited patiently and did the same, scanning the area, but it was rather quite silent. When Chain also seemed to realized the area was lacking monsters, she seemed to be disappointed but like a switch, she brightened up and fiddled with her menu for a few seconds before a party request appeared in front of Valerie, who tapped the accept button and followed her pale reflection silently. While Valerie walked, she began to see the similarities and differences between the two in the daylight of the forest. Chain was less than a centimeter taller than Valerie, but the pale girl was barefoot and Valerie was wearing boots, but this small height difference was very difficult to notice to a brief observation.

When the duo entered an open field, Valerie spotted some Dull Green Slimes and cringed at the monster’s disgusting appearance. The Swashbuckler had accepted a mentoring request from a fellow Adventurer, Hirosame, and their task was to collect boiled slime sludges. In fact, she still had one from the quest when she had gotten more than needed. Chain had continued walking until she paused suddenly and pulled her violin out and begun to play. Valerie stood a distance away and watched the Bard curiously but smiled as her song rang out. Soon after the song started, slimes began to move toward Chain and some very close slimes began to climb up her and Chain signaled for Valerie to do something about those slimes. The dancer nodded, but after a few seconds, she froze slightly, worried that her blade might hurt Chain if she struck the slimes too hard, cutting straight through and into Chain. She had previously done that before with a slime against a tree, but the Bard was a friend, not a tree. Valerie sheathed her left dagger and darted over to her pale twin’s side and ducked slightly to avoid disturbing the other girl’s playing. She began to kick the approaching monsters away into the tall grass while using her free hand to pluck the slimes off Chain’s body. When she removed the creatures, she tossed them in the air and as they fell, the girl timed her slashes to cut the monsters. Valerie continued to work at removing the monsters off of Chain while stabbing at any slimes that seemed to want to climb up the Bard.

When Chain was finally slime free, Valerie drew her sheathed weapon and circled the Bard, focusing her attention onto the incoming slimes. There were a large amount of slimes, more than she could count while protecting Chain, causing a spark of worry to light up in her mind, but she quickly quenched it and her expression became dark and rather sadistic as she began her attacks. The Swashbuckler slammed her heel into a slime, crushing it beneath her feet while sinking her dagger into two other slimes, and with a flick of her wrists, the two slimes slammed into the one spot on the ground, which she stomped her right foot down, pivoting on the slippery monsters. She whirled around and kicked the surrounding monsters into the base of a nearby wooden tree stump and leaped over to slashed both daggers rapidly at the pile of green slime until they disappeared into anima, leaving multiple marks of her daggers slashing into the wood. Then she stood up straight and looked around and the number of slimes didn’t seemed to have decreased, and she growled slightly. Luckily, no slimes had managed to climb up Chain again, so Valerie tried a different tactic, one that required one of her skills. The swashbuckler tightened her legs and dance around the Bard, kicking and slashing at any slimes she could encounter, drawing aggro toward her and stopped about two meters away from Chain before she crouched down, and waited until slimes began to close in on herself, and then activated Shuffle Windmill, spinning rapidly for four rotations before coming to a stop.

When she finished the skill, most of her surrounding slimes had disappeared, cutting down about one half of the numerous slimes. So now about half the number of slimes left, but in the corner of her eyes, she saw that more slimes began to approach as well, making the numbers more than half. Valerie sighed and continued using her aggro drawing tactic to keep the slimes off of Chain. This time, Valerie simply mindlessly slashed at all the slimes and avoided using her foot kicked the slimes. The Swashbuckler’s expression slowly became similar to the Bard’s, blank and distant. The dark haired girl’s movements became more fluid and dance like, flowing to the Bard’s song, using her daggers as a prop to slash at the monsters around her and the slimes began to poof into anima around the Bard and the Dancer.


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[Chain]

We'll chase the dawn that waits for us beyond the darkest sky Chain continued to play her instrument whilst Valerie plucked off and defeated the onslaught of slimes. Since she was constantly using her mana, more and more slimes in the surrounding area were being attracted to her. Despite the swashbucklers efforts, the numbers were starting to be overwhelming. Chain wouldn't have a problem with it given her level, but they still posed a problem for her party member who was soaking up the aggro. Alas, the problem with being a higher level was the amount of attraction the other monsters had towards them. As the first song ended, Chain started the next one while the first ability was on cool down. Activating ｢Ballad of the Gullible Snail｣, the aggro towards her increased, but their movement speed had been hindered. Or at least ten of them were. However, the numbers gathering around her numbered a couple of dozen by now. As the faster ones began to climb up Chain who had her eyes closed and playing in an autopilot fashion, her mind began to recall memories she didn't have. Emotions she never knew before. As the slimes crawled over her body, the feeling of peoples hands moving along her skin and trying to reach further, to tighten their grip around her. Chain didn't feel much negative emotions since she had yet to experience them, but this one was very reminiscent of those nightmares she constantly had. Fear. Inability to escape. As her expression began to fall darker, her playing slowed down. The spell had already activated, so it didn't matter that she wasn't playing at least. With her eyes covered by her long hair, she manipulated her equipment menu, swapping out her quick slot sword for the "Maiden's Grace" weapon. A black scythe as tall as she was and with its menacing black blade, it didn't suit the appearance of the girl in the white dress. Pulling off all the slimes on her as she walked out of the encirclement of monsters, she came to a halt after they were all off, following her like a train. Within her 10m range, there were roughly nine or ten monsters. Holding her scythe at the ready, her weapon illuminated a faint blue aura before being swung forward, releasing ｢Sonic Cutter｣ and blasting away the two that were closest, and injuring the rest of them. Now they truly were directing all their aggro at her. Expressionless as always, Chain didn't wait a moment before dashing through the large group while activating ｢Elegant Dance｣. Moving at nearly a jogging speed, she spun her scythe around rapidly, striking down the slimes that jumped up at her, and reaping in half the ones that were on the ground. Hacking away like this while no longer using magic, the number of monsters was dwindling quickly. By the time she got to the end of the slime train, none were left, and only a dozen or so remained around the two party members. It had been quite a while since the last time Chain had let loose like this around someone else. Sticking to her own business, avoiding battling around other people. After all, she feared herself just as much as she feared her missing memories. Taking a deep breath in, the "Alter" Chain slowly exhaled while her mouth distorted into a sadistic grin. With her eyes hidden by her bangs, it was hard to discern what she was going to do from now on. Whatever it was, it wasn't going to be pleasant. Because right now, Chain was very faintly releasing some strong bloodlust. The last of the slimes were in close proximity to the swashbuckler party member. Chain rushed forward towards the slime on the furthest edge, dashing past it and slicing it as she went. Slice & Dice, Hack 'n' Dash, whatever you want to call it. Without any system skill or assistance, she could do this precisely because her body knew how to do it. Aiming for another slime near the edge, she dashed past it and cut it along the way. Whittle away the other edge, and work your way in. Repeating this for the next several, it came down to the last two, and Valerie was between Chain and the slimes. Without care, the Bard dashed forward towards the Swashbuckler, weapon at the ready. Slashing that large weapon, the swing was just enough that it would slash an arm, if not dodged. Having swung, Chain spun around, making a couple of rotations and cutting the first slime, then implanting the scythe into the ground where the final one was, eradicating it. never forget that the promise of tomorrow lies in your heart

[/font][/font] WORD COUNT; 750
| PARTY; Chain, Valerie
| NOTES; ---
| made by lafayel ♡ btn
| edited by Tarry ♡ LH[/ul][/td][/tr][/tbody][/table][/div]

[Valerie]

The Swashbuckler suddenly felt a strange aura behind her while she was continuously fighting the slimes around Chain. A shiver passed through her spine unconsciously as she turned her eyes toward the Bard. Valerie’s movements slowed slightly, as she attempted to keep up with the sight of her pale twin with a pitch black scythe while fighting off the disgusting monsters in front of her. Slimes had apparently climbed back onto the girl, but she had shaken them off as she walked out of her circle of dull green creatures. Valerie stiffened as quickly finished off her surrounding monsters, the ones she had drawn aggro. Then all of the slimes were moving toward the Swashbuckler’s party member, leaving Valerie with a small bunch to deal with.

The moment Valerie saw the dark scythe, she knew that she wanted to watch this fight, but she set her mind into autopilot and used her daggers to dispatch as many slimes as she could while she kept her focus on the scythe wielding Bard. The large two handed weapons slashed through multiple slimes at once, and many disappeared into anima at once. As the ones surrounding Chain disappeared, the girl began to jog while hacking away at remaining monsters. As Valerie studied her pale, twisted reflection, she noticed the blank expression on the girl’s face that slowly transformed into a sadistic, cruel grin and her pale violet eyes seemed to glow red as her aura radiated deadly bloodlust. The Swashbuckler slowly stumbled to a stop at the shock of the incredible bloodlust that came from Chain. Valerie almost felt powerless in the mist of the Bard, but moments later, the Swashbuckler gripped her weapons tighter and turned her attention away from her pale twin. She had enough of watching the scythe wielding girl and had some killing to do.

Valerie’s body tensed as she sank and slashed her blades into the slimes and the girl began to imitate the Bard. A dark expression settled onto her face as a grin that exposed all her teeth, showing off her sharp canines. The Swashbuckler radiated her own bloodlust, but it was mixed with a bit of madness. Her bloodlust was much less than the Bard’s, but the madness that took hold made the girl giggle hysterically while fighting, which made it no less terrifying. The Dancer had disliked being the weaker one in a fight, and while she and Chain were not fighting, the presence of the Bard’s aura made Valerie step up her game and automatically changed her aura to fit alongside the Bard instead of behind her.

Soon, there were only two slimes left and they were behind Valerie. It seemed that the scythe wielder had already set her eyes on them and rushed forward toward Valerie. The second the white haired girl stepped toward Valerie, the Swashbuckler made a small step sideway and pivoted on her foot to watch Chain finish them off. The moment quietness settled into the field, Valerie’s expression blanked and her aura faded into herself. The dark haired girl took on a small smile and sheathed her weapons as she walked over to Chain.

It was a new experience fighting alongside someone like Chain. The Bard made Valerie just want to let loose and go all out with her as she fought. At first, she was wary of fighting with Chain or fighting alongside other people in general. Usually, she would need to hold back herself from going full out against the monsters, but with someone like Chain, who seemed to not hold back, Valerie was happy to match the girl’s fighting style. “That was fun.” She said, and laughed lightly as she looked up into the sky.


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