If anyone has a handle on the situation, it's Alesha. Apart from many happy nights raiding, making jokes and bitching about work and the state of the world, she's
always been the most composed and levelheaded of the guild and the one you've looked to in a crisis. There's no one more solid or dependable or downright
inspiring.
Also, not to put too fine a point on it, but you're
fragile and have no desire to test if resurrection mechanics work. Especially since you haven't found a balefire or soulstone crystal yet and have no idea how you got here. You're not sure if death or not being able to die would be worse right now and don't want to risk
either.
You call her up from the sendjewel array - not hard; the name with an "A" puts her near the top of the list. The hope that she'll pick up is soon answered by her mezzo voice speaking through the jewel into your ear, surprisingly bright given the situation:
"Deeds! We'll have to wait for pleasantries. Are you alright? What have you figured out?"
It's hard to keep your voice level. "Can't log out, for starters. First level, starter equipment, not alone - I'm trying to help someone else who I think is in a fight, bounding towards them -"
"At 2 Stamina a bounce?" she chided, and you
immediately feel stupid for not thinking of that.
"Uh - that was sort of instinctual, I wasn't really thinking clearly," you stammer. You can
feel your ears flattening.
"Don't beat yourself up too much over it - it makes you easy to spot, and follow." You're not sure why that's as much of a relief as it is, but it
is one, and her marching orders help you focus.
"I'm heading your way and partying up. Any idea what we're up against, who we're saving? Or where the others are?"
d10 + Intuition 2+ Wikiwalk 0 said:
"No idea, I just heard girlish screaming and yelling," you answer, lamely.
"Hot," Alesha deadpans.
"Ralph's out, like he said he'd be - just his luck. I picked up Hikaru and Sekhmet and a few others- didn't look long."
"Hikaru." You hear her hiss breath between her teeth.
"Hell, I don't think he breaks double digit HP; we need to see if he needs help immediately after this. Sekh can probably take care of herself for longer."
You had thought of that, briefly, but at the reminder you wince and make the Sign of the Fox - a gesture you didn't think came naturally to you. But there's no time to worry about that right now. (Or to correct her about Jules being
they, not
she, especially if they never corrected her
as Sekhmet.)
There's another scream, fierce and ragged, and you pivot towards it, bounce again and look down. A flash of red, black, and steel pursued by something large, red, and fast - and a series of blue floating blobs.
Out of the corner of your eye, you see blue, white and gold steel and flowing dark curly hair, converging on you both. Alesha, Paladin of Aurora, to the rescue.
"Think I've found our friend."
"Think we have too. You'll be there before me - Get her name, add her to our party."
"Roger wilco, mon Captain."
"Don't you start with that shit," she says, fondly. With that you see Alesha's status bar scroll to the upper-left of your field of vision - thankfully, mostly pink and teal with a hint of gold; reassuringly topped off on health and
pneuma, and starting to build Tension for the battle to come.
The girl you're coming to rescue swings some kind of heavy weapon, and that is when you grit your teeth and make your move, twisting your hip in a way that shouldn't be familiar, but
is - launching yourself in a terminal descent, a Gryphon Talon Kick.
(You figure that your foxtail belt is ostentatious and overdesigned enough for a proper Kick, anyway.)
You land, heavily, on top of the girl's warmaul to her shock and the grievous injury of her foe, a crab the size of a Volkswagen Beetle. Her blow would have already cracked it's shell; your weight drives it messily through the creature's brain as you crouch and launch yourself, again, off the hammer and next to the very surprised woman.
You roll your shoulders and your neck, raising your hands, getting into a proper stance. That felt
amazing. You didn't know bodies could do that, much less your own.
And then you turn towards the woman you rescued -
d10 + Guts 1 + Composure 0 said:
7/TN 7 (Moderate), SUCCESS
- and somehow manage not to stare at the steel bustier she has instead of a proper breastplate, instead locking eyes with her, nodding, and turning back to the battle before she can see you blush.
She's
incredibly curvy and
incredibly hippy and
incredibly sleek and she's wearing an armor set that you're pretty sure is sold in the cash shop as the Cosmic Battle Bikini. And right now, even if your emotions are running high, that's less important than the fact she's outnumbered and her bare midriff was injured and she needs your help, and it's
no excuse to turn into the kind of stammering teenage creep you
were going to cons after you got fucking
vaccinated.
d10 + Aura 5 + Rapport 1 + Sylphan Boon 3 said:
16/TN 7 (Moderate), CRITICAL SUCCESS
You tilt your head her way and flash a smile, powered by the incredible high of that sick dunk. "Looked like you needed help, thought I'd drop in."
"Get new material," she says, playfully, smiling. Her voice is... smokier than you expected on a frame that short. "But I
do appreciate the help, it's the best thing that's happened since I got here."
You gesture with your hand as if to concede the point, then open your mouth to introduce yourself.
And choke on your real name.
Maybe best to use avatar names here.
It's only logical, you kind of
are your avatars here, somehow.
Besides, you need her name to party up with her.
"Call me Deedee," you say, fast enough that she probably doesn't notice the slip.
Now she's the one looking up your body with a skeptical look. "DeeDee? Really?"
"I didn't expect I'd have to stick with the name," you say, ears flattening - and stepping back from an advancing floating jellyfish. You
knew when you came up with that name that it was a dumb joke and you did it anyway. Reaping sucks, what the hell.
She steps forward to take a swing at the floater, missing. She grunts.
"And I thought I wouldn't actually have to wear this stupid outfit, so I guess we're even. Call me Ace. Ace Striker. Now can you tell me what the hell is going on?"
Right. With a flick of your hand, you add that name to your party and send the invite. Her eyes twitch, slitting; her black ears perk up and her black and red fox tail start to swish. She's joined. You glance over; Alesha is power-walking out of a coconut grove towards you as fast as you can, which isn't fast enough.
Time to figure out a plan.
You can catch your breath - and talk more with Ace - after you win.
----
The Plan
[] Get Ace on the conference call and defer to Alesha; she's the Company battlemaster for a reason.
[] Consolidate your position; heal Ace up and go on the defensive.
[] Break through the line and meet Alesha; hit Ace with Zephyr's Grace and let her rip.
[] Advance cautiously; conserve stamina as you meet Alesha halfway.
[] Write-in plan (subject to QM veto).
Ace is...
[] In trouble and needs allies and that's what matters right now. (No risk, no reward.)
[] A potential friend. Someone I want to talk to more. (Moderate Spirit-based Rapport roll.)
[] Really, really cute and flirting with her sounds like a
really good idea. (Hard Spirit-based Rapport roll.)
[] A name I
might have heard before, if I can just remember
where... (Moderate Mind-based Wikiwalk roll)
[N/A]
Overwhelmed, just as confused as you are, and in need of some space. (Not enough Resolve+Composure to succeed at this roll.)
Note that there are other people you might develop a romance with, and that Deedee is not necessarily monogamous.
Voting will open at 6:00 Pacific, for two days.
Discuss things until then, while I steeple my fingers and smirk.
ETA: Character sheet updated.
