Socializing in the World of Elder Tales [2/2]

[Kadence]

Okay, Everett, don't panic. Breathe. It's not that big a deal... you're just... he looked down at his suddenly much more slender and feminine hands, the long hair on his head, and his... erm... assets. Female. You're just female. It's only your worst nightmares coming tru- "ARE YOU KIDDING MEEEEEEEE?!"

-------

Anyone watching among the chaos of the Catastrophe might notice a girl with long brown hair and a white, robe-like dress wandering through the streets with the same panicked look as a number of other Adventurers. What you would -not- know is that this girl is not who she appears to be. Kandace, the Level 1 Bard, was currently having a panic attack less over the fact that she was in the world of her favorite game, and more that she was in a body of the wrong gender. She eventually made her way over to a nearby tree that was fairly isolated from the rest of the crowd, sitting down with her arms wrapped around her knees.

Kandace, or Everett as she had once been called, had woken up thankfully in isolation, discovering his- or rather, her- predicament. If it had been just transporting to another world, he probably would have been elated. Getting to actually be the bard who leveled up and explored the world of Elder Tales would be like something out of a dream. But it seems it comes with a catch; you have to be in the body of the character you created. Had he known, he probably wouldn't have made another female character. Maybe a bard with a similar build who at least looked somewhat athletic. Not this thin, scraggly girl. Wasn't she supposed to be one of the weapon master classes?

Okay. So I get the body, but my voice is still the same. Maybe I can pass as a girl- oh who am I kidding, my voice is way too deep, and then it'll be high school all over again. She slumped with a sigh leaning headfirst into her knees, trying to ignore the awkward new shape of her body. It had been hard enough adjusting to a body around half a foot shorter than she originally was, she didn't need to worry about the rest... or did she? Oh god, what have I gotten myself into?

[Simon 'the Berserker']

Simon continued to walk through the city, looking at all the devastated buildings.  Despite being in such piss poor shape, they were actually beautiful to Simon as the only kind of buildings he were used to were from the Big Apple American Server. Those buildings didn't even look twice as nice as these do and they looked just as beat to shit as these one do.  Regardless, he was marveled by the Londinium District.  He continued walking, not looking where he was going.  He eventually found himself in a quieter part of town.  He took his gaze away from the  buildings and city as he looked around.  He noticed that were no longer any other adventurers or landers walking around, at least very few.  It was quiet, but he could hear the bustling city in the background.  

Shit, when did I get here?  Simon thought.  He looked behind himself at where he came.  He could see people moving the distance.  He shrugged as he continued to walk forward, but he hadn't realized he had basically stopped in front of this girl who was slumped down next to a tree with her legs  out and her head down in embarrassment it seemed.  He continued walking forward as he tripped over her legs, falling flat on his face as his legs crossed hers.  He lifted his head as he rubbed his nose.

"Ow-ch.  What did I trip o-...?"  Simon said to himself as he looked back towards his legs where he saw another pair of legs.  He followed them up to find a girl huddled next to the tree there.  His face blushed as he quickly scurried back.

"A- Ah! S- So- Sorry!  I- I didn't mean to trip on you or anything... I wasn't paying attention... I am sorry.  Sorry Sorry Sorry!"  Simon apologized profusely.  

---

WORD COUNT:  304

TAG:  Kadence

[Kadence]

Kadence felt a weird bump against her legs and a loud thud. Looking up, she saw what looked like a tall man in cloth armor, whose status screen pegged him as a Monk named Simon. The man mumbled for a moment before turning back and noticing Kadence, who was looking at him with a mixture of shock and confusion. His mind seemed to register what had happened and he flushed red- well that was something she hadn't been on the other end of before- and he began to apologize fiercely.

She gave a silent giggle to herself over his behavior and wiped a tear from her eye before placing a hand on his shoulder and using her other hand to [Transcribe] a message in the air with mana. It's okay, I didn't notice you either. The bard gave him a smile. He was a little scary looking, but judging by his actions, he wasn't a bad person. Nice to meet you. I'm Kadence. Dusting off her robe, she got to her feet, helping him up as well (if he allowed her to). It was a little... intimidating to see someone almost a foot taller than her who looked like that, and she couldn't help but take a step back when he rose to his full height.

Word Count: 216
Tags: Simon 'the Berserker'
Notes: This thread has been changed from being a Day 1 thread due to time mumbo jumbo. The title and tags have been changed to accommodate this.

[Simon 'the Berserker']

Simon grabbed Kadence's hand as she helped him up.  He dusted off his clothes, specifically his knees.  He glanced upwards as he watched her transcribe her words to him with her mana.  Huh?  She must not have a microphone.  Simon thought.  He scratched the back of his head as he smiled, chuckling.  He straightened up.

"I'm Simon.  Nice to meet you as well."  Simon said, extending his hand to her.  "I really am sorry about tripping on you.  I was just exploring the city.  I am still new to this server. It's so different than the North American server."  He looked around as he spoke.

"The artwork and visual design of the buildings are a lot more stunning.  I guess, they really want to show England off, eh?  I wonder if it is really modeled after London."  Simon said, joking around.  He looked back to her as he ended his side of the conversation.  He swallowed in nervousness.

Simon continued to look at her, not knowing what to say now.  There was sort of an awkward silence between them.

"So... Yeah... Thanks... for the lift up."  Simon said.  His eyes darted back and forth around the area, trying to think of something to say.  He bothered this poor girl, so the least he could do is hold a conversation.  Besides, this could be a good chance for him to make a friend.  God dammit, say something, Simon.  Simon thought.  He noticed the hair ties in her hair as they seemed different than the usual kind.  They didn't seem like hair ties at all, just straw picked from a field.

"Uh... Nice hair ties..."  Simon said.  There was a moment of silence.  Oh yea, one more thing, Simon.  Yes, Simon?  Don't be f**king weird.  Simon thought.   His stomach growled as he placed a hand on his belly.  He chuckled as he smiled awkwardly.  

---

WORD COUNT: 312
TAG:  Kadence

[Kadence]

The monk scratched the back of his head as he stood, smiling. "I'm Simon. Nice to meet you as well." Kadence took his outstretched hand and returned the offered handshake. "I really am sorry about tripping on you. I was just exploring the city. I am still new to this server. It's so different than the North American server."

Kadence shook her head and sketched out Really, it's fine. I'm not really used to this server either. I used to play on the North American server too, before the Catastrophe, so I get the confusion.

Simon looked around at the surrounding area, the great city of Londinium in all its tree-covered glory. "The artwork and visual design of the buildings are a lot more stunning. I guess, they really want to show England off, eh? I wonder if it is really modeled after London." He turned back to her and swallowed. Was he nervous around her? The attention was kind of nice but... No, no, no! Focus! Talk about the Half-Gaia project or something!

Feeling a little awkward now too, she sketched out a reply of Well, this is supposed to be the Half-Gaia project, so I guess this is half-London. Lame her mind scolded. The two were silent, just awkwardly staring at each other. Unable to really talk back, and not really sure how to follow up an awful joke like that, she prayed that he'd come up with some different topic.

Thankfully, he answered her prayers with an almost-as-awkward "So... Yeah... Thanks... for the lift up." She could tell he was struggling to keep the conversation going. He wasn't much of a talker like Samantha, and he didn't lecture like Kaos did, and he wasn't as forward as Evenever... how she wished she had a voice she could share with him. She managed a short You're welcome in reply before the silence returned.

"Uh..." he tried again "Nice hair ties..." There was a moment of silence as Kadence's mind registered what he was saying. She'd almost forgotten about them herself. Thank you she replied, blushing a little about her slow response. They were part of the character design when I made my avatar. It took me a while to figure out how to re-make them here. There was yet another pause as neither of them knew how to carry a conversation before Simon's stomach growled. He placed a hand to it and chuckled awkwardly, prompting Kadence to smile, grateful for something to change the topic. Are you hungry? I heard about a place where they figured out some sort of japanese noodle dish we could go to. she offered a hand to lead him there.

Word Count: 447
Tags: Simon 'the Berserker'

[Simon 'the Berserker']

Simon looked surprised as Kadence offered to go out and eat something.  He looked grateful as he smiled.

"Oh, uh... sure...  Thanks.  I mean, you don't have to.  Its my fault I haven't eaten yet today.  I explored the city for too long and got lost."  Simon said.  "But I appreciate the offer."  He looked down at Kadence's hand as she offered to guide him to the restaurant.  However, he was confused why she offered her hand.  Did she want to hold hands on the way there?  That'd be weird, right?  Couldn't I just follow her?  Simon thought.  He blushed as he walked up next to her, instead of holding her hand, as he let her guide him to this Japanese restaurant.  

As they walked to the restaurant,  it was once again awkwardly quiet.  Simon tried to once again think of something to say.  Are we playing a game here, Simon?  Don't keep just stopping and going.  Continue speaking.  I will find booze and continue this conversation myself if I have too.  Simon thought.  

"So... Ummm... Do you like Japanese food?"  Simon asked.  "Personally, its all my Mother cooked back in New York... she tried to preserve her Japanese traditions despite living in America.  Trying to pass them onto me and my sister."  He started to smile as he remembered his past memories with his mom and sis.  He chuckled.

"We both gotta little sick of Japanese food... We would often feed it to the dog."  Simon said.  "We actually got the dog sick from all the food we gave him."  He started to think about what happened to the dog.  His happy expression changed to a frown. He scratched his head as he looked to the sky.

"Wait... I think we had to put the dog down because of that..."  Simon said.  Shit... we did.  Myucel was devastated.  Simon thought.  He shook his head as he cleared those memories away.

"By the way... I noticed you type a lot.  Afraid of what people might think of your voice?"  Simon asked with a smile.  "I was like that at first when I started gaming.  I thought I was gonna get made fun of for sounding like a dweeb.  Then again I was still young, so I grew into my voice."  

"If that's the case, neep other people and just speak with your own voice."  Simon said.  "I mean, who cares, right?  What do other people know anyway?"  He glanced away as he blushed a little bit.

"Besides... I bet you have a beautiful voice."  Simon said, quietly.

---

WORD COUNT: 427
TAG:  Kadence

[Kadence]

"Oh, uh... sure... Thanks. I mean, you don't have to. Its my fault I haven't eaten yet today. I explored the city for too long and got lost, but I appreciate the offer." She watched his gaze lowering to her outstretched hand, instead blushing and walking up next to her. It confused her for a moment as they walked, then she realized the implication her gesture must have had and flushed red. Geeze! Why can't I stop doing such embarrassing things?!

The awkward silence between them returned as they walked, only the sounds of the city surrounding them. Desperate to do something to help the silence, Kadence tried to think of a way she could start a conversation. Then she realized something about [Transcription]; the words she writes in the air don't move, which means if she's walking along, she can't move the words with her. There must be something she could do...

"So... Ummm... Do you like Japanese food?" the monk tried to start a conversation his own way. "Personally, its all my Mother cooked back in New York... she tried to preserve her Japanese traditions despite living in America. Trying to pass them onto me and my sister."

Kadence almost stopped in the middle of the road. He was being very open about his real self here, talking about his family, his heritage, and his life before the game, as his story continued, Kadence began to think about what she was doing, passing herself off as a mute girl. What would the world be like if she had just opened her mouth and spoke with her own voice? Would others like Samantha and Evenever have accepted her as their own, or shunned her as some sort of pervert? How would her male friends like Sergej and Kaos have reacted?

"By the way... I noticed you type a lot." That line drew her attention back to him, unintentionally crossing her line of thought. "Afraid of what people might think of your voice? I was like that at first when I started gaming. I thought I was gonna get made fun of for sounding like a dweeb. Then again I was still young, so I grew into my voice." ...did he know? Did he find out her secret? Maybe he's more perceptive than he looks she thought to herself, silent more out of shock than her usual defensive mechanism. "If that's the case," he continued, "*neep* other people and just speak with your own voice. I mean, who cares, right? What do other people know anyway?"

He'd turned away for some reason, but his words had left a big mark on Kadence, who's face was rising along with her courage. She could do this. She could speak to him in her real voice and he wouldn't even-

"Besides... I bet you have a beautiful voice."

The bard paused, physically stopping in the middle of the path like a cloud of gloom had settled over her. No. He never knew Everett Felix, and doesn't want to know him. What courage that had been dwelling up inside her extinguished like someone had dumped a bucketful of water over a campfire. Everett Felix doesn't exist in this world. There is only Kadence, the silent bard who speaks though words of mana...

Forcing herself to smile, she pulled out a notepad and started walking again. She could just put the [Transcription] on the page, and carry that surface with her. It only took her a moment to write a response. Sorry. Didn't mean to startle you, but it's not possible to hear my voice. There was an accident and... well, the doctor said it was a psychological condition. I'm physically capable but even if I tried, my mind wouldn't let me.

As Simon (presumably) read over what she had written, the pair arrived at the humble little stand called "Neko-don" (AN: Supposed to be translated as "Cat Bowl", but I'm not sure if that's right). They passed under some covers and came up to a wooden counter with several stools set before it. Behind the counter, a rather large and rotund werecat was stirring a large pot and talking with the customers. "Well if it isn't my favorite silent protagonist!" he laughed heartily with a wave.

It's good to see you too, Nyathan she smiled, writing in the air above the counter. What's the special today?

As she wrote the werecat, a Guardian/Chef according to his status bar, gave Simon an appraising look. "Hm. You seem the scary sort. But if Kadence brought you here, you must be okay." He held out one hand over the counter for the monk to shake. "The name's Nyathan, and this is my castle." Once, he was done, he read the message Kadence had written and replied. "The special is 'Mystery' today. My favorite day where I get to try out new recipes on my customers. Would you like to give it a try?"

Kadence thought long and hard about her response... the last time she'd eaten the mystery special, the noodles had been boiled in a pseudo-maple syrup, giving them a weird sweet flavor that reminded her of breakfast. It hadn't been all that bad, but Nyathan hadn't added it to his menu. But there was no telling what he'd put in there this time... gathering her courage, Kadence gave a nod.

"Atta girl!" Nyathan cheered "You won't regret it this week!" he turned to Simon. "And you?"


Word Count: 911 (( 0_0 ))
Tags: Simon 'the Berserker'
Note: Feel free to put whatever as the mystery ingredient if you'd like.

[Simon 'the Berserker']

As Simon followed Kadence to this restaurant, it seemed his questions struck a chord as she suddenly stopped in the middle of the street  Before taking a step further, he looked back behind himself to see Kadence.  Uh, oh.  Simon thought.  He quickly ran back to her, confused.

"Yo, is everything alright?"  Simon asked.  "Did I say something weird?  Cross a line, maybe?"   He continued to ask.  She forced herself a smile as she took out a notepad and begin walk again.  He ran up next to her again as he peered over her shoulder to see what she was writing.  His eyes darted back and forth unsure of what to say or do.  She came up with a conclusion all on her own or something.  She suddenly showed him her notepad.  He read her writing carefully.  His eyes widened as he finished what she had wrote.

Simon, you idiot.  You did cross a line.  A neeping big one.  She is neeping mute, you dick.  And you just brought it up.  She probably didn't want to think about it.  Simon thought.  Simon handed Kadence's notepad back as he faced forward, looking down at his feet.  I didn't know you were this bad at making friends.  The rest of the walk to the food stand was quiet and awkward.

They had arrived at this Don stand ran by a Cat character who was a Guardian/Chef.  Kadence greeted him without a problem as Simon stood there quietly, reading/listening to them.  He kind of found it hard to sort of talk after his insensitive-ness back there.  His head slowly started to muffle the surroundings and voices as he drifted back to thinking.  I wonder if I was a real dick like that back on the American Server... if that was a part of my 'PK' nature.  God, why do I have to be such a neep-up?  Simon thought.  Maybe, I can make it up to her... Buy her... er... lunch... or... maybe she wants to fix her voi-...

"...Would you like to give it a try?"  Nyathan asked.  Simon assumed he was talking to both of them.  However, he was mainly talking to Kadence as she replied with a nod.  He replied awkwardly, at the same time as Kadence's nod to make things even more awkward.

"Uh... S- Sure...!"  Simon said, boldly and messily.  There was a moment of silence before Nyathan continued speaking and asked Simon again.

"And you?"  Nyathan said.

"Sure... Yea.  Sure."  Simon said.  He stood there awkwardly with an odd smile on his face.  He glanced down to Kadence as he quietly gritted his teeth inside his mouth.  He looked down at the stool, getting the idea he should probably sit down.  He sat down.

---

WORD COUNT:  456
TAG:  Kadence

[Kadence]

It didn't take long for Kadence to start feeling awkward next to Simon. After all, she'd kind of gone silent- well, for her, anyways. Which was more silent than a normal person, she supposed. Absently, she began doodling in the air in front of her with [Transcription], really not sure what to say.

....

Meanwhile, Nyathan had noticed her distraction as he threw... was that a block of cheese? A tomato? What was going into this ramen? ...into the pot. Since the ramen was going to take a while to boil, he decided to take advantage of her distraction and pressed into Simon.

"You talked about her voice, didn't you?"

Ignoring the expected outburst of surprise, Nyathan continued. "She acted the same to me when I asked about it. Don't worry," he nudged Simon "She's not mad at you. If anyone, she's frustrated with herself." He turned his head and watched as she wiped away her first doodle and started a new one. "When everyone came here to Elder Tales, those who lost their voices for physical reasons have been able to learn how to speak. It's slow, but they're learning to communicate vocally. But coming to Elder Tales didn't fix anyone psychologically." Steam began to rise from the pot as the water boiled. "You'll be fine. Just don't treat her any differently than you would anyone else."

He allowed the monk some time to think before setting a pair of bowls in front of his daring customers. "Soup's up! I call this 'Pizza Ramen'!" Looking into the bowl, the noodles appeared to have been cooked in some sort of strange cheese and tomato based broth, and a number of pizza ingredients, including Pepperoni and olives bob in the strange concoction. "I figure gamers like Pizza, Gamers like Ramen, so put them together and what do you got?"

Word Count: 308
Tags: Simon 'the Berserker'