[Commerce] A Troupe on the Move

[Jade]

notes here. Megumi words: 608

Jade was having a good day, she was on Arcadia waiting for the caravan to make its way out of town. She and Megumi were on guard duty. She was glad as if she was to go on a quest for such a period of time as a caravan, she wanted it to be with a friend like Megumi. The girl sure had her moments, but for the most part Jade liked her. She had to stop herself from rolling her eyes some times when the rich girl took over Megumi. After all it was clear it was just who she was. The girl had grown up having everything handed to her, and this world was not that way. So Jade tried to cut her some slack, making sure to be polite and try to not upset her. After all she thought Megumi was kind of cute Granted Jade hadn't really gotten that close to her. She rather hoped that she could get to know her better so that they could be better friends. It was one of her goals, and this quest she had taken with Megumi was hopefully the start of them becoming closer. She had only really been around her with others and this was the first time it was just them so maybe they could get to know each other while watching the caravan as it was going to be a journey from what she had gathered from the job description. It would also give her a chance to get Arcadia use to riding long periods of time. The caravan belonged to a circus troupe and merchants that went from town to town. The people of the land were just as varied as she would hope and she wanted to do her best to protect them. That was her job after all, to make sure no harm cam to them. She had gotten here a bit early so they weren't done packing but that was fine. She took the chance to get Arcadia ready for the journey and help out anyone who needed it. She smiled as she got asked to help lift something, she jumped off of Arcadia and moved over to the wagon, lifting the box and and putting it on a wagon. She was strong from her class, which was nice, she would of never been able to do the things she can do here in the real world. She smiled and helped lift some other boxes up into the wagon. It was the least she could do as the person of the land was clearly tired. Only when the last bot was loaded did she return to Arcadia and look for Megumi. She wondered what was keeping her. After all she had thought she would be here as early as she was. Then again perhaps she was off getting a mount or something, she wondered cause this journey would suck to take on foot. She might just let her hop on Arcadia with her, if it came to it. She sighed and equipped her armor as the caravan looked like it was finally ready to get on its way out. No more cute dress until later she thought as she patted Arcadia and waited, taking advantage of standing as long as she could. She knew her butt was going to regret this journey soon and for now would stand while she could. She double checked her supplies and made sure there were enough for the journey. After all it would be no good to be short half way or most of the way through on this caravan. multiply life by the power of two

Made by Sifr @ THQ.

[Megumi]

[attr="class","capsol"]

The morning was still young, only being a few hours into the daylight by this point. However, Megumi had been awake for a little while now. She recalled having been asked by Jade, one of her friends here in this world, to accompany her on a sort of mission. Though it wasn't exactly something she was built for, the pay was fairly nice, given that guard duty usually paid quite well. The objective was to help guide a small circus and trade caravan out to a certain spot, where they would begin their performance or whatever they had going on for themselves, and then they would likely ask those they hired to bring them back to the city with little to no trouble, as one would expect. Of course, that would require some further money in order to grease the wheels, so to speak, otherwise Megumi would much rather go out into the field, find a powerful monster, piss it off, and then be sent back to London as result of casualty.

Such a thing would likely not come to pass, of course, as Megumi figured that she would stay by Jade's side should push come to shove. It's not like her to abandon someone that she has spent several separate occasions nearby, and one whom she considers a friend. Not an asset, as she would like to think of some other people from back in the real world, but most of the people she has befriended in this world have been genuine. Pure. Plainly, they've been people that Megumi has felt like she could look upon their faces and just smile as a result of seeing them once again. Not that it was to a point where she would be crushed if they had all disappeared suddenly, as some of her 'friends' in the real world had done, but it would more than definitely effect her if they were only after her money here. However, she needn't worry, since she had barely a scrap of gold to her own, outside of living expenses and other necessities. There are some simple joys in poverty, she felt.

But none of these joys, she began to think as she exited the inn that she had been residing within, would equal the amount of freedom she would have once she has amassed all her money once again. The money which, of course, could only be rivaled by the endless pit of currency that her family held within their vast number of bank accounts. Given that, though, she needed to start amassing the currency. She had been starting to save up after all the larger-paying quests that she had been taking part on, concerning different occupational options as well as pinching some pennies. This didn't mean much to the woman, though, as she had been the one to prepare her own food for a while now, and she knew how to keep it at a decent price for a good sized, filling meal. However, her livelihood would have to come into question later on, as she had finally made her way to the place where the caravan was listed to begin. Not too much further from there, she saw the stature of a girl she knew. Undoubtedly, it was Jade.

A slight smile dawned upon the Swashbuckler's face, as the rapiers clanked every so often with her movements. Placing a hand on her hip, she continued to walk forward, until she was a decent enough distance from the Guardian. Stopping, she gave a slight curtsy to the girl, before speaking. "Good morning, Miss Jade. I hope you are fairing well." For the sake of politeness, which had been drilled into her head since she was young, she also gave a similar curtsy to Arcadia, the Guardian's horse. While she didn't know if she was on good terms with her, Arcadia always struck Megumi as a stalwart, gallant kind of steed. One that was young and had much of its abilities yet to be tapped into. Megumi's father would go on and on about horse races, and how to determine which horse won it all. But, that would be a story for another time. Her vision returning to Jade, she asked. "Are we about set to move out? I have prepared some light dishes for us to eat along the road, should we require nourishment. All you need to do is ask, and I shall procure the food." Standing by for now, since there wasn't a whole lot else she could do until the caravan began to move, Megumi awaited a reply.

[newclass=.bbar]background-color:#050505; border: 2px solid #050505; border-radius: 5px; overflow: hidden; width: 175px; height:6px;[/newclass]

[attr="class","bbar"]

[newclass=.bbar]background-color:#050505; border: 2px solid #050505; border-radius: 5px; overflow: hidden; width: 175px; height:6px;[/newclass]

[attr="class","bbar"]

∝: 767
♫: Granado Espada
✏: Fashionably... On time?
@: Jade

[newclass=.capsol ::-webkit-scrollbar]height:5px;width:10px;background-color:#2c2c2c;[/newclass]
[newclass=.capsol ::-webkit-scrollbar-thumb]background-color:#211f20;border-left:1px solid #211f20;border-top:1px solid #211f20;border-bottom:1px solid #211f20;[/newclass]

[Jade]

Helpful Friend. Megumi words: 609

Jade smiled when she spotted Megumi, it was nice that she had arrived in time. She had been trying to think of ways to hold off the departure should Megumi of been late. But it hadn't come to that so instead she smiled and returned the curtsy well the best one could do in heavy plate mail. She noted that Arcadia wasn't at all bothered by Megumi, which was a good thing, that meant there should be no incidents. She cringed thinking of trouble she could cause when in a mood. She had to admit she loved Arcadia but sometimes the horse didn't get along with some people. She had learned that Arcadia was good at reading people. Even better than her, which was rare as she liked to think she was good at it. Jade looked to Megumi and began to talk. " Miss Kensingon, it is a pleasure to see you, I was afraid you might have been delayed. If you wish you could ride on Arcadia with me, she seems to like you." As she said that she noticed Arcadia turn to Megumi clearly wanting to be pet in just the right spot. Jade watched to see if she would return the animal's simple demand. It was funny how that her her horse was just like a horse in the real world. It was part of the reason she had accepted this world as a reality, clearly this was not just a game. It was just too real. "You didn't have to go and make food, I would but well I lack the class and have found that no matter how hard I try without the sub class nothing I make turns out. " She use to cook her families meals so it bothered her that she couldn't take care of people in the same way anymore. Granted now she could at least make better remedies than any of the homemade ones that she had learned in the real world. Her medicines actually worked she thought with a smile. "If you wanted you could ride on Arcadia with me, she can support us both and it would be easier than walking. " She said as she herself got up on the horse, watching the first part of the caravan begin to move. She smiled watching Arcadia get closer to Megumi trying to get a scratch behind the ear. That was when she couldn't help but giggle. "She likes you it would seem. That is a rarity.. she use to just bite everyone..." The caravan was starting to move and soon riding with her or not, they would have to start moving. Jade held down her hand and moved her foot out of the stir-up offering to help the girl on the horse behind her. She would not lie, it would be nice to have a cute girl holding on to her as they rode but it was more because she didn't want the other girl to have to walk the entire way. She had found having Arcadia made getting around outside the city much faster. That and it let her attack differently than most guardians. It gave her mobility and that let her get around and have avenues of attack that she would of never been able to get on the ground, her armor weighed her down to much so she would never be able to do much but block and attack and hold attention, this way she could keep attention but not nessicarily be attacked as mosters noticed the horse and her riding towards them or around them and not the ally stabbing them in the mean time. multiply life by the power of two

Made by Sifr @ THQ.

[Megumi]

[attr="class","capsol"]

So it did seem that Arcadia was accepting of Megumi's presence, as she had hoped would be the case in the long run. Not too much longer, the beautiful black-haired beast made its way over towards Megumi, for what she could only assume was being pet. Having a weak spot for animals was one of Tabitha's characteristics back in the real world, one which heavily carried over into this one as well. Taking the next few steps and walking over next to the horse, Megumi began to brush the hair along its mane, eventually making her way up to its ear. Silently, she began to rummage through her inventory, specifically some of the ingredients that she had used to make some food before. Knowing that horses did enjoy their vegetables, unlike some children that would happen to be so picky, the Swashbuckler produced a decent sized carrot, and held it out for the horse to take at is own leisure, all the while petting it.

Whether or not the donation was accepted, Megumi's attention was brought to the Guardian once more. She had offered, twice now, for Megumi to join her upon Arcadia, saying that she would be more than able to withstand the two of them being on her back. While it seemed, at first, like just a normal gesture, Megumi had to wonder why exactly Jade felt it necessary to address the point twice in a short period of time. Perhaps the girl simply wanted to talk in the meantime while on the road? Whether or not that was the case, she didn't want to burden Arcadia further if she didn't have to. Her father had also explained the kinds of strenuous training and physical regimenting that a horse needed to undergo in order to become as fast and as sturdy as those found in the races, and she decided at a young age to not burden a horse, if she had a choice. Even a horse made for riding, such as Arcadia, would throw Megumi off a bit in her mind, and ultimately not really enjoy the ride.

So as to make sure that everybody was up to speed, or lack of notice thereof, the start of the caravan had begun to move up on ahead. For being a circus troupe and a merchant group coupled into one caravan, Megumi didn't expect there to be so many carriages. Despite this, the two were actually a little ways towards the back, not close enough to be near the front should anything happen. That being the case, there was still a bit of time before the carriages in this part would move, and just a little less before those in front of the current ones. Looking over at Jade, as she offered a hand up onto Arcadia, Megumi simply shook her head, and started to trot ahead a little ways. Her goal was to find one of the carriages somewhere in the middle so that she could hitch a ride upon the back of it, and still be in a good enough spot that, should she need to, she would be able to reach the other parts of the caravan more easily. Going up three or four more horse-drawn vehicles, Megumi hopped aboard in the back of one.

Not too much longer, the wooden cart began to move, and the caravan had begun its journey. It was at about this time that Megumi didn't quite know what it was they were going to be off and doing, which she never actually asked Jade about. Figuring that Jade would follow up so that the two of them were together, Megumi went to sit down, her legs folded underneath herself and splayed off to the side a little. The cart jostled up and down every so often, causing her to lose her balance slightly, but she would be able to keep her balance easy enough. Looking over to the Guardian, Megumi wondered. "So, where exactly are we heading, Miss Jade? And why do they only need the two of us, plus Arcadia, to be their guards? I suppose none of it makes quite as much sense to me as it should, since I'm unaware of the circumstances that pertain to this venture of ours." Having expressed her concerns, she was jolted up and down very quickly as a larger bump in the road had rolled underneath the carriage, causing her to give a soft "Eep!" Just barely able to keep herself on, Megumi started to shuffle back further onto the wooden cart, before giving her undivided attention to Jade, hoping that she didn't make much note about her sudden outburst.

[newclass=.bbar]background-color:#050505; border: 2px solid #050505; border-radius: 5px; overflow: hidden; width: 175px; height:6px;[/newclass]

[attr="class","bbar"]

[newclass=.bbar]background-color:#050505; border: 2px solid #050505; border-radius: 5px; overflow: hidden; width: 175px; height:6px;[/newclass]

[attr="class","bbar"]

∝: 779
♫: Comfortable Journey
✏: Horses love carrots, right?
@: Jade

[newclass=.capsol ::-webkit-scrollbar]height:5px;width:10px;background-color:#2c2c2c;[/newclass]
[newclass=.capsol ::-webkit-scrollbar-thumb]background-color:#211f20;border-left:1px solid #211f20;border-top:1px solid #211f20;border-bottom:1px solid #211f20;[/newclass]

[Jade]

notes here. Megumi words: 533

Jade giggled as she watched Arcadia greedily eat the carrot. It seemed that Jade wasn’t the only one with a soft spot for Arcadia. She smiled and pat Arcadia’s side. She had been so preoccupied she hadn’t noticed she had offered twice. It had not been her intention. She shrugged and followed Megumi to where she took a seat at the back of one of the carriages. It was nice to be here, she wasn’t sure if there were other adventurers at the moment. She just knew that she had signed her and Megumi up as a chance to work together. She smiled at her, noting that they were moving at a steady pace that allowed the two to talk. She listened to the question and nodded responding kindly. “Well, I am not sure if it is just us, but they just are heading to the next town and hire some adventurers to help guard them on the way there, and then the way back. Plus they needed us to help them, they are short on help this trip and well I figured I could do some tricks with Arcadia and I am not sure what they have in mind for you. Don’t worry, they offered a healthy reward and so here we are. I don’t think you have to help out with their show but it will come out of the reward if you don’t.“ Jade smiled and rode along with the caravan, she hadn’t really looked into the specifics content to just do the quest for the reward. After all a quest was a quest. “Thanks for coming with by the way, It is good to have some company. I have been trying to get some gold to help the guild getting a guild hall and get myself some better gear. I figure if we work together we can get the funds in no time. “ It was Jades goal to help the guild out so they could do more things. After all guilds were places you could do crafts with bonuses and even live. She smiled pondering if she should get personal housing or not. She would decide that if she had a large deposable income she supposed. At the moment she was just getting by. The problem would be once they got a ways from the city, someone or something might try to attack them, though they were such a large group it would have to be a rather organized attack. She was sure there were others able to fight, as it would be not enough most likely to just have her and Megumi no matter their skills. That was most likely why megumi was asking her questions but Jade hadn’t really put much thought, more focused on the reward and the fun of performing. After all Arcadia and her were going to be in a show, which excited Jade. She had always wanted to do something like that and this quest let her. She still was surprised of the offer. She had practiced some stuff the day before. It seemed the training she had been doing with Arcadia might finally pay off. Well that was the hope anyways. multiply life by the power of two

Made by Sifr @ THQ.

[Megumi]

[attr="class","capsol"]

As Jade had begun to answer Megumi's questions, she started to feel a bit apprehensive about all of this. Turning her attention to the road behind them now, the Swashbuckler started to wonder what exactly was the point of having a guard squad, if all they were doing was heading over to the next town. That likely wouldn't be too much of a problem, she figured, and it would only involve some fairly low-leveled monsters, that even a child could dispatch of easily. However, since it is a group of circus people and some merchants, she had to assume that hey likely didn't know everything there was about fighting, which is why they needed someone like a couple of Adventurers to take care of anything that came their way. It was about this time that Megumi started to tune back into what Jade was saying, after a small silence in between the conversation pieces. A smile made its way across her face, and she chuckled a little.

"It is no trouble, my dear. I'm glad you asked me to come along." It seemed that Jade's purpose was to help the guild out, one which Megumi had been talked into joining as a result of Marashi and Jade's efforts. While she herself didn't worry too much over an organization of such a caliber, she felt it would be nice to have somewhere that she could call a place that she belonged. None of that would matter the moment she got all the money in the world, of course, since she would be able to forge herself a massive building where she could have whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted. That would be in due time, as one could imagine, as she was still in the process of gathering up the money that she wanted to have, which incidentally was the reason why she was out here today, outside of helping out Jade. It was nice to help someone else out, especially when the pay was as good as this was. She smirked just a little bit, thinking about the money that would come from this.

However, the smirk disappeared into an expression of fright. Her eyes darted immediately to the Guardian, as she began to recall what it was she mentioned before giving thanks. Something about them needing a hand with the performance as well!? Absolutely not. No. Not in their lives. Jade would have to spend at least 14 hours trying to coerce Megumi into performing for a circus troupe, and even then, she would demand at least four-times the amount of payment that would be due in order to even get into a costume. Nowhere before was it mentioned that she would have to perform, and the fact that a portion of the pay was to be dedicated to how well she performed was out of the question. As though a moment of salvation, Megumi started to recall more of what Jade said. She was going to participate, no matter what, with Arcadia, whereas they might not even need Megumi's help in the end. Setting back down onto the seat, the girl started to relax a bit. She just hoped that it would not come to pass that she need to participate.

Calming herself back down, Megumi let out a slight sigh. She was starting to become a little restless, and wanted to see exactly where they were. Standing up, Megumi walked over to the back of the carriage, and grabbed onto the wooden post that made up part of the base. As she did this, she swung to the side, keeping her left foot inside the vehicle. Her right leg dangled a bit for a moment, before she found a place for it on the side of the cart, and started to look out and around. She could see that they were now in the middle of one of the plains, which stretched out to a forest off in the distance. Looking in front of them, she saw only roads, and behind, she could still see a large amount of the city of London. They hadn't traveled very far, and already she was wishing they were there already. It hadn't even been 10 minutes by this point, she figured, as she swung back into the carriage. "So, how far-abouts is this next town over. Do you know at all off hand, Miss Jade?" She asked, returning to the place where she sat before. Deciding to stand there for now, Megumi looked over to Jade and awaited a response.

[newclass=.bbar]background-color:#050505; border: 2px solid #050505; border-radius: 5px; overflow: hidden; width: 175px; height:6px;[/newclass]

[attr="class","bbar"]

[newclass=.bbar]background-color:#050505; border: 2px solid #050505; border-radius: 5px; overflow: hidden; width: 175px; height:6px;[/newclass]

[attr="class","bbar"]

∝: 760
♫: Everyday Life
✏: More talking next post, I promise.
@: Jade

[newclass=.capsol ::-webkit-scrollbar]height:5px;width:10px;background-color:#2c2c2c;[/newclass]
[newclass=.capsol ::-webkit-scrollbar-thumb]background-color:#211f20;border-left:1px solid #211f20;border-top:1px solid #211f20;border-bottom:1px solid #211f20;[/newclass]

[Jade]

notes here. Megumi words: 593

"I have no idea, I wish I did, I didn't really look into it. " She blushed, not having really cared, as she figured it was something to do and for the reward she didn't really care. Jade wanted to help buy the guild house so that there was a place for them to spend time together. After all she would like to get to know them better. Jade needed a close friend, and she thought maybe Megumi might be able to be that person. She took a deep breath and contemplated coming out to jade. It was something that aggravated her, she had worked so hard to come out in real life, that to have to do it again seemed rather depressing. She wanted others to know about that part of her though, because well she needed to let them in so they would let her in. She wanted close friends. Friends like she had in the other world. "You can call me Jade you know, you don't have to call me miss, though I do like the sound of it. Miss Kensington, we are friends right? I know it is silly to ask because we do some things together but well that is not the same thing I suppose. Here in this world one has to build up new relationships and get new friends where previously we had families and friends we knew we could count on." Jade hated how afraid she was to say something everyone in her old world knew, something she had come to terms with 4 years ago even. Gods had it been that long, had it really been 4 years ago.. she was 20 now. It didn't seem possible but that fact just hit her, she was 20 now, 2 years in this game had passed which meant she was now 20. She had to make friends with someone and it felt like she could never actually get close to someone when it felt like she was hiding part of herself. She didn't care that Megumi didn't seem to be a lesbian, she had plenty of straight friends before. It would be no different, even though she totally thought she was cute. Jade had moved past that fact. She needed to do something so she looked at Megumi, thinking about her old friends. Jade wanted friends like that again. She looked to Megumi, who was standing now, while making sure to watch for anything threatening the caravan. However unlikely that would be considering there size. Jade smiled and took another deep breath.. finally feeling that it was better to just let someone anyone know, and that someone was Megumi. " Megumi. the reason I asked is cause I want someone to really know me.. like that I am a lesbian...I want people to know me and not have to hide it and well ever since the whole ending up here its like I am in the closet again, so to speak and it shouldn't be hard to say considering I came to terms with it a few years ago, its like revisiting all those fears when no one knows. I understand if you don't accept my way of life but I would like to be friends still." Jade said blushing bright red, she had finally let someone in to her life, it was a start. She looked down and then away, pretending to only be watching the sides but she was so nervous about what Megumi might say. . multiply life by the power of two

Made by Sifr @ THQ.

[Megumi]

[attr="class","capsol"]

"I see." Megumi said, as Jade had mentioned that she wasn't entirely sure how far off they were. Given the ten or so minutes that they had been on the road felt as though it had lasted forever. It oculd just be that he Swashbuckler was fairly impatient when it came to most things, and she was well aware of who she was and how she worked. Her eyes drifted back off to the surrounding plains, wondering just how long they would actually be out here, until they got to their destination. However long it would take was simply an answerless question for the time being, and Megumi would just have to live with it for now. Her eyes returned to the Guardian, as she began to talk a bit further. She did notice a bit of a blush on the girl's face, but passed it off without thinking too much on it. She explained that Megumi didn't have to call her 'Miss,' though for the Swashbuckler, it was more of a term of endearment.

Then she said something of note, asking if they were friends. "I shouldn't think we aren't, at the very least." Megumi said plainly. She was going to continue, but a silence ensued shortly afterwards, where the two of them remained quiet for a little bit. Megumi was left to think about what Jade had just mentioned, about making friends in this world. While she hadn't tried very much at it, Megumi could think of a few people that she would name off as friends, Jade being one of them. However, she had to wonder if the feelings were mutual or not, or if there were any feelings at all. Perhaps she was the one being played for a fool, like she had done with those business associates of her father back in the real world? Her thought process was interrupted by Jade speaking up a little bit, beginning to start another kind of a conversation. As Megumi listened, she felt her heart sink a little bit at the mentioning of the girl's sexuality, which she had not seen coming at all.

The Guardian had been so formal, addressing her by her screen name, and then drops that onto her. However, as Jade continued to speak, Megumi found herself growing more and more... Angry. As the girl finished what she was saying, Megumi took a few seconds to calm herself down. She shut her eyes quickly, and clenched her fists, before letting out a deep breath. "Are you... Daft...?" She asked, in a low tone. Her eyes opened up slightly, and glared at the Guardian. "How dare you say such a thing, Jade!" She snapped. "Stuck in the closet again!? Fears!? What have you to fear!?" Megumi slammed her foot into the wooden carriage, her anger reaching a peak. "You should never, never, be afraid of who you are. You've already accepted yourself for who you are, and what it is you want, so why go back on yourself like that!? I will not allow someone to insult my friend, even should it be my friend herself!" At this point, she was seething with anger, but she caught herself, thankfully.

Letting out another breath, Megumi eased herself down onto the floor of the cart, her legs folded underneath herself. One could visibly see that she was growing more calm, and as she spoke, her voice had returned to a more relaxed, neutral tone. "My father once told me," Tabitha began. "That if I was ever to doubt myself, or my lineage, to remember that the second I do is the second I no longer become myself. That that is the moment in time, when all is lost for me and my future. Not just as a Kensington, but as a human being. And he told me this, because I had started to doubt who I was as a person, a long, long time ago..." Her eyes started to cloud, as a memory began to make its way into her mind. She looked off to the side for a moment, before a smile could be seen on her face. It was soft, almost loving. "I suppose I should explain, so it doesn't seem like I'm just talking off the cuff here. It makes more sense once you know the context." She brought her legs out from under her, and started to curl up into a sitting posture.

"I was seven, and my father wanted me to try riding a pony. It was my first time ever riding on another living thing, and I was nervous, as obvious as you can believe it. Well, I began to fall off of the horse, having lost my grip, and I managed to rip out a few hairs on the back of the horse's mane." She chuckled. "It whinnied and reared back, throwing me off, and I was certain that I had hurt it. And, so, I began to cry, thinking I was an 'animal hurter' to put it into my own, childish words. And, that's about when my father came over to me to see if I was alright, and I told him that I thought I hurt the horsey. He explained that I hadn't, and that it was just surprised, but I didn't believe him at all." Tabitha paused, but continued. "For the next few days, I was childishly depressed, and kept calling myself an animal hurter. It got to a point where I had stopped leaving my room, as though I were going through a mid-life crisis of some sort." The smile only broadened as she had gotten this much further into her story, and her eyes looked up to meet Jade's.

"And do you know what happened next?" She asked, rhetorically. Tabitha was going to tell her anyways. "My father burst into the room, and screamed at me." The Swashbuckler started to giggle a bit more, as she continued. "He yelled and shouted and roared, telling me that I was wrong, but I kept saying to him that I was an animal hurter, and I would never leave my room again, for the sake of all the animals in the world... And I almost did, until he told me..." She fell silent once more, feeling a small lump appear in her throat. "He said, 'The moment you doubt yourself, is the moment you lose yourself.' Without another word, he left the room. And, wouldn't you know it, about 5 minutes later, I ran out of my room and hugged my father, crying." She laughed just a little bit more, as she finished her little story. "I kept apologizing, and soon enough, found myself atop the horse's back again, riding away." She let the memories of her father fill her mind once again, thinking about how much she missed him. She caught herself, though, as a tear started to make its way down her right cheek. Wiping it away, she looked to Jade once more, becoming more stern and serious.

"Now, what you've gone through on a personal and emotional level is far superior to my scaring a horse and thinking I hurt it. You've made a decision that most people are too afraid to make, back in the real world, and you made it known to everybody. That, my dear, is a Medal of Honor that you should wear proudly to show the rest of the world." Megumi folded her legs underneath her again, she spoke further. "You overcame one of the most difficult things a human can possibly face: You understood a piece yourself, and an incredibly big one at that. Yet you fear doing the same thing here, on the internet? Anonymity is a wonderful thing, Jade, but for people to trust you, you have to be truthful. And you have to know yourself enough to be true to not just everybody else, but to you, as well." She started to stand up, her smile softening further. "I'll say this, I respect you for telling me. I'm also pleased to know that you're willing to trust me enough with that information. But, now you must trust yourself once more." Giving a nod, Megumi concluded. "Never be afraid of who you are, Jade. This is a brand new world, but you're still you. Face it with pride." Feeling like she had said enough here, Megumi returned her gaze to the plains, keeping an eye out.

[newclass=.bbar]background-color:#050505; border: 2px solid #050505; border-radius: 5px; overflow: hidden; width: 175px; height:6px;[/newclass]

[attr="class","bbar"]

[newclass=.bbar]background-color:#050505; border: 2px solid #050505; border-radius: 5px; overflow: hidden; width: 175px; height:6px;[/newclass]

[attr="class","bbar"]

∝: 1409
♫: Archylte Steppe
✏: I kinda wrote a lot. Sorry.
@: Jade

[newclass=.capsol ::-webkit-scrollbar]height:5px;width:10px;background-color:#2c2c2c;[/newclass]
[newclass=.capsol ::-webkit-scrollbar-thumb]background-color:#211f20;border-left:1px solid #211f20;border-top:1px solid #211f20;border-bottom:1px solid #211f20;[/newclass]

[Jade]

Stutter Megumi words: 724

Jade was not ready for that response. Her mind was blown, and she was just quiet and listened, nodding along with Megumi as she talked. She took it all in and tried to listen. She had never thought about it, she was normally fine but it had just been everything here that had sort of ganged up on her. She understood what she was saying and knew it was silly to let her doubts get the better of herself. She giggled slightly at her story, an animal hurter. She had to admit that was a cute but lesson filled story. She listened and was quiet from the whole stream of words said to her. She had doubted her self, and she agreed she had lost herself. It hurt to admit, that by hiding her sexuality she had lost the herself. When she really thought about it, she was afraid to flirt or talk about that sort of thing, but that was who she was. She would of hugged the girl in front of her if she wasn't on a horse, and not near the girl in front of her. She sighed and thought herself silly for all the thoughts and just looked to Megumi. "You are right.. I lost myself the moment I doubted myself. I shouldn't care, if people can't accept me its the same as the old world, their problem. Thank you for telling me about yourself Megumi, I am glad to have you as a friend. " She was silent for a bit still taking it all in. She had so much to stew on. It would seem that Megumi cared a lot more than she ever thought. She smiled and felt some tears go down her face and she giggled a little. "Well I hope you know that while I am on that side, while i think you and some of the others are cute, but I just hope you don't let it get weird. You are a good friend and I wouldn't want to jeopardize it. Jade wiped her tears away, smiling at Megumi despite the tears. " Your father sounds like a great man though, I have to say. I can see you were close with him." She thought about it. " I can't say I knew my parents very well. They were always working so I never really saw them, with a big family like mine we had to do what we could to get by. You are lucky to have such a wise father. I am sure you mist him as much as I miss my family. I just hope they can get on without me, " Jade smiled at her and sighed as they moved on, and kept traveling, they were picking up a pace as they settled in to the new pace it was clear that they were now on their way. It was alot to think about but when it came down to it. Megumi was right, she was so right and Jade was embarrassed that she had ever thought she had to hide or not let others know who she was. She had to admit that Megumi was a very kind person even if sometimes she didn't seem it. "You know you are a very good friend. I am glad you came out here with me. I love how we have gotten to form a guild and everything. Together we can do something in this world and make something to make it better. Perhaps I can even find a girlfriend. That would be nice, A girl can hope right?" She said with a smile, recovering on the outside at least. She knew that Megumi was right, but it was easier said than done. It was a nice ride though. She couldn't argue with that, the city melted away and the road was the only constant here. Jade smiled and watched out to make sure that nothing was approaching for now. She was glad that she got to get to know Megumi. "Should I call you Megumi or Miss Kensington or something else? I have never been sure what you prefer." She said with a look out to their right flank, she was hoping that nothing would bother them,then it would truly be a easy job. But the chances were slim that nothing would go wrong. multiply life by the power of two

Made by Sifr @ THQ.

[Megumi]

[attr="class","capsol"]

Megumi wasn't going to lie, she was just a tad thrown off when Jade mentioned that herself and some others were cute. However, it wouldn't do well to have her comment on that, first of all because Jade had just asked if she wouldn't let it get weird, and secondly because of the whole speech she had given just a few moments before. It wouldn't do well for the woman to go back on what she had just said only a minute or so later on, and decided that she would try and make a joke out of it, should that need to happen. For the time being, Megumi listened to the girl as she spoke, trying to show that she didn't mind being an active listener. She found it interesting that Jade didn't know much about her parents and how they acted or behaved, whereas Megumi could tell you exactly how her mom or dad would respond to most, if not all, situations. Soon enough, the concept came up that the Swashbuckler was a very good friend, and even she felt a slight blush form.

Luckily enough, the conversation shifted to something else, concerning the guild, and very soon afterwards, Jade's desire for a partner. The idea of having a partner in this world didn't really seem too entertaining to the woman, as it was probably not as beneficial to have a romantic partner as apposed to the impressive amount of money that she will one day have in this world, since the money was more likely to be there, whether you want it to be or not. Given that, though, it did seem interesting to develop a relationship of such a caliber that one might thoroughly enjoy another person's existence, along with whatever else came along with having a romantic engagement. Of course the sexual aspect of it could also be fulfilled, since this world seemed in-depth enough to add in little pains and pleasures to the human body, like pricking a finger or the sweet sensation of eating a delicious confectionery. However, that was later overshadowed by the continuation of the conversation.

Megumi's eyes locked with Jade's as the question arose as to whatever Jade should refer to the Swashbuckler as. She figured that she might as well make a joke out of it, if she could. Posing triumphantly, Megumi spoke. "While it serves my ego a bit better to be known as Miss Kensington, I shall make an exception for you, my dear." Dropping the egotistical stance, she adopted a soft face from there. "You may call me whatever you wish, Miss Jade. So long as it is within reason, though I'm sure you know better than to do something like that." It would be a fairly bad idea to refer to Megumi as anything other than the names she has given before, since it might not float over too well if she is called something like 'Princess' by someone as close to her as Jade. That would likely sour the relationship to a point that Megumi cared not to think about, as it would entail a devolving relationship between the two of them. Of course, she didn't need to worry about something like that with Jade, who held a certain sense of decency that she had yet to encounter with most others.

Her mind went back to the conversation prior, concerning the guild. Perhaps now is a good enough time to say something about that. "In any case, I do suppose it is a good idea to put things forward for the guild, but I'm sure you won't be upset if I say that any monetary gain from this mission isn't solely intended for the guild, for myself. I've a goal in my mind about obtaining the money that I had in the previous world, and I'm not one to back down from getting what I think is rightfully mine." Megumi paused, thinking about what she had just said. Sure, she seemed fairly selfish, but it would be more selfish to lie about the whole thing, she figured. Sighing, she continued. "I understand that that turns me to a shallow light in the eyes of others, but I would much rather tell the truth and seem as though I'm greedy than hide behind lies before friends." It felt like she was digging herself a grave of some sort, if she was to continue speaking about the topic. Perhaps it would be best to leave that thought for another time, and try to derail it. "So, anyways, Jade. Outside of the guild, do you have any ulterior motives for gathering up money and levels?" She asked, hoping Jade would leave the topic be.

[newclass=.bbar]background-color:#050505; border: 2px solid #050505; border-radius: 5px; overflow: hidden; width: 175px; height:6px;[/newclass]

[attr="class","bbar"]

[newclass=.bbar]background-color:#050505; border: 2px solid #050505; border-radius: 5px; overflow: hidden; width: 175px; height:6px;[/newclass]

[attr="class","bbar"]

∝: 787
♫: Soul Below
✏: Moving from topic to topic.
@: Jade

[newclass=.capsol ::-webkit-scrollbar]height:5px;width:10px;background-color:#2c2c2c;[/newclass]
[newclass=.capsol ::-webkit-scrollbar-thumb]background-color:#211f20;border-left:1px solid #211f20;border-top:1px solid #211f20;border-bottom:1px solid #211f20;[/newclass]

[Jade]

notes here. Megumi words: 518

Jade would never take advantage of the offer, plus she was sure if she came up with something Megumi didn't like for a name, she would hear about it. Jade giggled and smiled, "Well then I suppose I will switch between Megumi and Miss Kensington, depending on the situation. I also didn't realize you had such an ambitious goal, To raise that much gold in this world. I will try to help if I can, " She rode along and watched about for anything supicous but surely nothing would attack this far from town, they had only just left a bit ago and while making headway, they would need to make it further for the likely spots of an attack from any sort of bandits, and monsters, well you never knew when or if they were going to attack. She thought about the question, why did she gather up money and levels, well that was clear. She smiled and prepared to answer her friend. "Well, I am gathering up money and levels so I can protect and provide for those I care about. I use to run an orphanage of sort up till recently, scraping by and helping younger players stuck in the game. I was constantly relying on others help to get food and keep the building we used. So now that those players are off on their own, I want to make sure I can do things on my own. I want to make friends and protect and help them. I make medicine with my skill and help people of the land friends I have made over the last two years with the plants I have gathered with Lerical and Jane, but now I want to help the guild, I don't really want much myself. A place to live and people to call friends and family is all I really need. I was going to try to become a doctor in the other world when I graduated and went to college that is, so here I am at a loss of what to do with the whole live in a game thing. " Jade shrugged and kept on riding. That was when she spotted the glint in the distance. "Don't make an obvious move yet but we are being watched..." She spoke quietly. Not sure what sort of foe they might be fighting. Whatever it was was short, not a human. She sighed well time for fun she supposed as she mentally prepared herself. She causally made one of the approved signals to the others in the caravan, but nothing outwardly changed, everyone kept moving. It looked like the goblins were bold, she had caught sight of another glint, this time it was unmistakable, it was goblins. Though they might not do anything. They might be intimidated by the size of the caravan they were in. She would be on her guard though. "So what do you plan to do once you get all the gold?" She asked causally trying to keep the conversation going as she watched, it didn't seem like they were brave enough to attack. multiply life by the power of two

Made by Sifr @ THQ.