written in the stars

Moon Byul Yi. College student by day, bartender by night, and gamer at every opportunity in between ☾ ☆

[ex-aesmoonstar-blog]

Hey so I know I’ve been gone for like two weeks but I’m still alive if I haven’t been kicked out yet?? Idk if you guys know about the weather in texas but basically it’s been fcking crazy and my wifi has been so iffy and on top of that, my laptop broke RIP. it’s getting fixed today tho so if anyone is even still active here i’ll answer inbox and continue threads and post whatever starters i owe later tonight or tomorrow (depends on when i’m able to pick up the laptop)

but like

are you guys still here bc all i see on the dash are pictures and i don’t wanna do a bunch of replies if no one is alive to care :c

[ex-aesmoonstar-blog]

Tracker » 5/14

Writing for: aesyerim - starter aesjongin - unwind aesnaeun - late date aesjia - sharing is caring Waiting for: aeszitao - necessity aesxbobby - cat and mouse aesxhalla - a dime a dozen aesxjoohyun - nice try aesxjeongguk - helping hand aesxseulgi - starter Plotting with: aeskyungsoo aesxsoojung (also I sent messages to aesxsehun and aeskey when they joined and never got replies so I’m assuming something got eaten but I would still like to plot with you two if you’re up for it okay)

[ex-aesmoonstar-blog]

Helping Hand » Celeste & Young Gun

[aesxjeongguk-deactivated2015070]

            Admittedly, part of the reason he was so willing to offer his help was due to this player’s choice in faction – the coat of arms of Tierra rested emblazoned next to her health bar and class name on the interface. Who could blame him for being a little biased? Even if this was only a game and one person’s decision to play as an Aestilian did nothing to interfere with anyone else’s gameplay storyline, he still nursed a healthy enough sense of competition to be reluctant about helping those of the enemy faction. Besides, Tierra could always use more swordsmen – or women, in this particular case. Hearing her ask for his assistance, Gun relaxed a little, the almost nervous wariness fading from his countenance into something more like contentment or silent amicability. Her willingness to accept it relieved him. 

            ❝ Not very good, to be honest, ❞ he replied softly and with apparent stoic seriousness, though a more perceptive listener would detect an underlying current of mirth in his tone. ❝ The ones in Tephra are particularly unkind. ❞ So that was what she had been struggling with – go figure; it was no wonder she continued to respawn. Forest sprites, though physically unassuming and perhaps even cute, were vicious in masses, often pulling off coordinated combined attacks generally carrying some kind of unwanted status effect. They weren’t hard to beat, perse; just infuriating.

            Gun made a quick check of himself and his items on the interface, looking over his weapons and their condition and his armor. Forest sprites weren’t the only things lurking in Tephra, and it would be really embarrassing if he offered to help and then ended up getting his ass kicked alongside her – which shouldn’t happen considering his level, but ever since that last trek through what he’d thought had been a familiar labyrinth of caves in the mountains, only to be ambushed by a boss he’d sworn had never been there before, he endeavored to be prepared for just about anything. Affirming that he was in about as good shape as he was going to be, he nodded to her with just the bare hints of a smile. ❝ I’m ready if you are. ❞

[ex-aesmoonstar-blog]

"What a shame... I'm not very good either," she replied with a shake of her head, visually expressing her disappointment. Though, just like him, her tone revealed the humor hiding underneath the serious manner of speech. "I'm glad you appreciate the severity of what I'm trying to face." The corner of her lips lifted up into an amused smile, grateful for having found someone both willing to help and ready to do it without making fun of her for trying and failing so many times. The fact that he seemed to have at least a slight sense of humor was another bonus she took a moment to appreciate before getting down to business.

Celeste waited patiently as he scrolled through the interface, knowing she had no reason to do the same. She had been through this so many times, she already knew exactly what she had with her. She also knew she was ridiculously unprepared compared to him but his appearance had renewed her spirit and she was completely ready to charge into the mass of forest sprites once more, despite how that plan had previously gone for her.

Once he confirmed that he was ready to join her, Celeste nodded and turned to lead him into the forest. "Okay, let us go then. I shall take you directly to the warzone," she spoke ominously, a small smile still on her face. The rest of the trip back to the campsite was completed in silence, so as not to disturb other random enemies that might attack if Celeste and her new companion revealed themselves. The only communication between them came about every fifty feet or so, when the swordswoman would glance over her shoulder and throw her partner a wave or a thumbs up to ensure Gun was still okay and continuing to follow her.

After quite a bit of walking, they finally reached the outskirts of the dreaded campsite. Celeste kneeled down beside a tree and turned to whisper out a question, "This is the place. Now, have you got a strategy you'd like to employ or are you more of a wing it kind of guy?"

[ex-aesmoonstar-blog]

Nice Try » Moonbyul & Joohyun

When Moonbyul's current batch of customers had been attended to and were no longer watching her every move while they waited impatiently for their drinks, the bartender sneaked a glance at her watch. The time reflected back to her, telling her that in just a few minutes the nightclub was going to reach its busiest hour. It was a Friday night and the evening was just beginning - primetime for Chuncheon residents to go out drinking. It was always hectic on days like this, though Moonbyul didn't necessarily mind. As long as she stayed focused on her job and didn't fall behind with her orders, it usually wasn't so bad. In fact, she preferred times like this because people were more likely to have actual friends to talk to so Moonbyul didn't have to awkwardly play the part of dutiful listener to a handful of lonely drunks.

After checking the time, Moonbyul went right back to serving the folks around her. Every once in a while, her gaze wandered to the club's entrance as large groups of people continued to pour in, just as expected. The bouncers looked overwhelmed; they were new hires and hadn't yet become accustomed to checking over so many customers at a time. Moonbyul made a mental note to stay alert tonight, watching out for any creeps or bullies who may have slipped in unnoticed among the crowd of other patrons.

Before long, however, it became impossible to keep a watchful eye on everyone in the club. Moonbyul had her hands full with the various customers sitting at the bar as they slowly became more and more drunk, and far less likely to speak to her politely. They were demanding her attention left and right, hardly giving her room to breathe between drink orders. Despite this, she kept a smile on her face and did her best to exude a calm confidence, not wanting to reveal that she was starting to get pretty stressed trying to keep up with everything.

Eventually, she became aware of a young brunette sitting at the end of the bar, waiting there with no drink in hand. That was no good. Moonbyul rushed over and put on her fake so-happy-to-serve-you smile, hoping she hadn't been waiting too long. As she got close enough to see the woman's face, a faint flicker of recognition sparked somewhere in the back of her mind. Since she didn't really have the luxury of time to stand there and ponder where she knew the girl from, or even enough time to start up a conversation with her, Moonbyul ignored it and welcomed the customer with a standard greeting.

"Hey, sorry to have kept you waiting, ma'am. What can I get for you tonight?"

[ex-aesmoonstar-blog]

Sharing is Caring » Moonbyul & Jia

[palminjae-blog]

      They were at a standstill, it seemed. Neither wanting to take the cinnamon roll, both wanting the other to take and enjoy it. For a long moment, Jia worried that someone else would come along and take it and they’d both lose the situation. But then she’d voiced her question and all that was left to do was hold her breath and hope she hadn’t made a mistake with the suggestion.

       It was while she was waiting for an answer that she realized the cinnamon roll had been placed on her tray and she almost sighed a bit, fearing that her effort had been given for no reason. But then she heard the other speak and her eyes raised just in time to see the smile appearing on the raven’s face.

       “Great,” Jia grinned in answer, nodding back, though her eyes widened as the other spoke of paying for the treat herself. But she couldn’t even manage to get out a protest before she heard the other’s suggestion that she might actually have friends to eat with at lunch. It was almost laughable, or it would have been if she wasn’t aware of how sad it was. Regardless, she ended up quietly following the other without an argument about who was to pay for the dessert.

       She waited patiently in line at the register behind the other, her fingers fidgeting a bit with the edges of her tray as she fought to keep herself from fidgeting with her hair, instead. Stepping forward as the line shifted, she paid when it was her turn, then quickly caught up to the other, shyly returning the smile that the other gave her. “I don’t have anywhere else to be,” she murmured in answer, shaking her head a bit before a look of realization crossed her face.

       Prying one of her fidgeting hands off of the tray, she held it out to the other. “I’m Jia,” she murmured in introduction, giving the other an uncertain smile.

[ex-aesmoonstar-blog]

"Okay, great!" Moonbyul nearly grinned in relief, though she stopped herself, not wanting to appear over-eager. It would be more than a little embarrassing if she gave away just how excited she was to finally have a lunch buddy. But even if they only ate together today and never spoke again, it would still be more social interaction than Moonbyul would have had otherwise so she couldn't hide her enthusiasm completely. She only hoped she didn't come across as weird or desperate as she returned the introduction.

Balancing the tray in her left hand, she reached out her right for the offered handshake. "I'm Moonbyul. It's nice to meet you," she recited the polite words before taking her hand back, noticing Jia's uncertain smile. Ah.. Am I messing this up? There was a slight pause in which Moonbyul hesitated, the uncertainty spreading to her as well. For the first time she wondered if perhaps this was a bad idea - What if they didn't get along?

She quickly shook the doubt from her mind and started walking to the tables, assuming Jia would follow her. As she reached a good spot next to one of the large cafeteria windows, Moonbyul set her tray down and took a seat. "Oh, uh.. I hope this is okay? I like to sit where I can get some sunshine. If you'd prefer a different table, we can move."

Awkwardness set in as she waited for a reply. Should she have asked Jia where she wanted to sit before finding a place? What if now she seemed rude because she just sat where she wanted to and didn't ask about what Jia preferred? Getting a little nervous, Moonbyul started to fidget with the hem of her shirt. It had only been a few short moments since she sat down but she blurted out another question in an attempt to start conversation, trying to ease the uncomfortable atmosphere. "So, you like cinnamon rolls?"

Great, now she sounded like an idiot. Groaning inwardly, Moonbyul decided to shut her mouth and let Jia talk for a while, before she could ask any more dumb questions.

[aesxhalla]

A Dime a Dozen  //  Hallasan & Celeste

There are always moments when life decides to set a giant boulder in the path of one’s goals, immovable – a nuisance with no way around except to face it head-on and bash through and clear the path.

In Hallasan’s case, it was literally a boulder of a monster, slumbering in her path, sitting on top of a pile of gold and other more rare items that would trade for more gold than the large piles that gathered beneath the said ogre-like creature. Thank Gaia she was a long-distance attacker as the thought of touching the vile coat of slime on top of rugged brown-green skin had her retching inwardly; nevertheless, touching said creature was a necessity in her adventure. 

With a confident smirk, she pulls out a dagger. One swipe to the nape would be enough to destroy such a creature and afterwards all the riches are her’s! 

–

“Damn it all!” Throwing the slime-covered dagger into the river nearby to clean, Hallasan bends over the side, washing said weapon alongside bloodied wounds; nevermind that vile creature, it was the unseen imps that posed the most danger – hidden around the ogre, the little buggers had attacked her and finally managed to drive her away after her health had gotten critically low. 

Wincing as she’s forced to drink up one of the disgustingly purple potions to magically regain her health – however the hell that happens, she’ll never understand – she takes a moment to look around, maybe chat up a couple of people into getting a partner to beat down the imps as she slit the throat of the ogre. She was never one to work together with another, as partnerships usually ended up in disaster (especially if it was with Chiwon), but there seemed to be no way across this one except to employ a swordsman or magician to, quite literally, busts the guts of said creatures.

Now who would be silly enough to listen to her demands?

Striding up to a knight nearby, Hallasan smiles that same charming smile, her head ducked innocently as her bow is placed onto her back to keep from hindering any interaction between her and this complete stranger she had decided upon to entice by pure whim. 

[ whisper → Celeste ] Hello? You’re a knight correct? Would you like to fight an ogre with me?

Hopefully, this knight would be ridiculous enough to follow along with her.

[ex-aesmoonstar-blog]

Marching out of the forest filled with a sense of accomplishment, Celeste decided to celebrate her gaining of a level by taking a break at the nearby river. A majority of her recent quests had ended in disaster but this time, she had finally succeeded in completing a solo mission and, seemingly as payment for her efforts, moved up a level in the process. With a smile still on her face, the newly level thirteen player took a seat at the water's edge and decided to take a look at the items dropped by her enemies.

She opened up her inventory and perused through her rewards, vaguely disappointed by the lack of useful items. Skins, claws, and a couple teeth from the bodies of the creatures she defeated, though none that fit with her particular weapon or armor type. Oh well, I still gained a level and I'm happy about that. At least these can all be sold for a fair price at the marketplace. Celeste thought to herself, closing her inventory with a sigh.

Just as she stood to make the trek back to town, she was approached by an archer seeking aid. The first thing Celeste noticed was the other player's much higher level. What could the woman possibly need her help with when she was so much weaker? Though, she did just finish a quest on her own and was clearly improving in her skill... And besides, the knight would never turn down someone in need so she replied without hesitation, her smile bright and tone eager. "Of course! I would very much enjoy fighting with you."

It never occurred to her that it might not be such a good idea to go along on this stranger's quest, as her desire to prove herself and be the big hero overshadowed all else. So, with the smile still on her face, Celeste opened the game interface and requested to team up with this other player before even asking for details about the ogre they would be battling. It wasn't until after they were officially partners that she thought to get some extra information on what she was about to do.

"Where are we headed? And what exactly will my role be? Surely there's a reason why you chose me instead of someone a bit more advanced."

[ex-aesmoonstar-blog]

Helping Hand » Celeste & Young Gun

[aesxjeongguk-deactivated2015070]

            Small shops lined cracked cobblestone roads where Gun liked to browse for his wares. Here, they were cheaper, and there was one store in particular that sold items and clothing well-suited to how he liked to play. For a couple of hours now he had been wandering the streets, peeking in through dusty windows and bending over merchants’ stalls. Eventually, he’d purchased a pricey bracelet that decreased the time needed for cool-down after skill-casting, which fed well into an assassin’s already low reload time and his penchant for liking to be able to use skills one after another in quick succession, something near impossible for any class other than stealth.

            But wares and trinkets weren’t the only thing that had caught his attention in the time he had spent milling about. One of his class benefited greatly from being attentive and aware of his surroundings; an assassin relied on reaction speed and adaptability, because it certainly wasn’t a strong defense stat that was going to save him if something should attack out of the blue. In this case though, it was no threat that had garnered his notice, but rather a certain young woman who continued to reappear at the edge of the marketplace, just before the line of trees where shops thinned out and the Forest of Tephra began. Each time he checked the game interface, she seemed to be there, or at least nearby, which wouldn’t be strange if she didn’t keep appearing at the same coordinates every time.

            After noticing this and watching her more closely, Gun realized she must be continually respawning; at this, a mild kind of amusement filtered into him, and he huffed softly with concealed mirth. She had to be doing some kind of quest that was proving too difficult for her mere twelve levels. And the interface identified her as a swordsman, which was not the ideal class to be clanking off into the Forest of Tephra at such a low level.

            For a while, Gun just hung back, unsure whether to approach her and offer his help or not. Though she was evidently struggling, he was hesitant to make it seem like she might need help, lest he be stung with indignant backlash about ‘ not needing any pity ’. It wouldn’t be the first time his assistance had been thus rejected, and it twisted a little every time because he wasn’t actively trying to be condescending. They’d all been level twelve once, after all. 

            Time dragged on, and soon four respawns became five, six … he lost count after a bit, and his sympathy grew, as well as an underhanded sense of admiration for this player’s persistence. He probably would have given up for the day after three or four tries and come back to it later. Obviously not having played as a swordsman, Gun idly wondered what kind of quest this was – was it part of the game for her here, or was she attempting a sidequest meant for one much later in gameplay? After another couple of respawns ( one that took a bit longer than the others – for a moment he thought maybe she’d succeeded this time ), he finally decided to approach her. Light, near soundless steps brought him to the edge of the trees where she had reappeared yet again, looking exhausted and trial-tried. ❝ Excuse me, ❞ he spoke, his voice level, revealing little in its tone save for an innate reticence. ❝ I’ve been watching for a bit … are you maybe stuck on a quest? ❞

[ex-aesmoonstar-blog]

Many, many tries later and Celeste was starting to crack. She was always so stubborn about leaving no quest uncompleted because she felt that as a "true knight", it would be cowardly to admit defeat. But as she respawned for the umpteenth time, even she was realizing that it was ridiculous to continue on when she was very obviously too under-leveled and under prepared for the task at hand.

Standing there halfway between the market and the forest, her spirits dampened, the silverette reluctantly accepted that giving up might be the only thing she could do. If she only had a few items to compensate for her lack of strength, Celeste might find it possible to scrape through the mission. The only problem with that was her lack of money. It seemed a bit cruel that she was continually revived at the edge of a thriving market town - which undoubtedly held the keys to her success - when she didn't even have more than a single coin to her name. Every time the knight respawned, she studied the shoppers with envy in her heart, wishing she could be browsing the merchandise right alongside them.

As her gaze absently lingered on a group of customers gathered around a weapons stall, Celeste tried to convince herself to leave her quest and start an easier one; something more suited to her level and fighting style. But, as persistent as she was, she couldn't actually bring herself to quit yet. "One more try and then I'm done.." she muttered to no one in particular, steeling herself for another trip back into the shadowy woods.

She easily made her way to the now-familiar campsite, having memorized the correct path after so many failed attempts. An idea occurred to her: perhaps if she went in swinging, she would catch them by surprise and that first hit would give her the advantage she needed to succeed. So, ignoring her ridiculous appearance, she began flailing around her sword as she stepped knowingly into the awaiting trap. Just as expected, the sprites surrounded her immediately. As her weapon sliced through the first few of them with no problem, Celeste realized her plan was working. A sense of accomplishment washed through her for anticipating the creatures' slow reaction time but the feeling was short-lived. They quickly caught up and as hard as she fought, the swordswoman still lost the edge she had had at the beginning of the battle. Her strategy got her a little farther than any of her previous endeavors but it wasn't good enough; The sprites overwhelmed her and before she knew it, she was back at the respawn location feeling more defeated than the last time she showed up here.

Her last chance and she had blown it. If she was honest, her failure was kind of expected but Celeste had still held the hope that she could somehow overcome the level difference between herself and her enemies. She supposed she had clung to that eager naivety that most new players fell victim to, but she was starting to understand that some quests were just too far above her level and she would need more than simple tenacity in order to finish such missions. With a resigned sigh, she opened the game's interface to drop the quest just as another player approached her with a question.

"How long is 'a bit'?" she questioned, slightly embarrassed that someone had taken note of her struggling. She just hoped he hadn't been watching since the very beginning. "But yes, I've been working on a quest. I was just about to give up though, because as I'm sure you've seen, I'm not doing very well." Celeste shrugged and looked the stranger over, noticing that he was an assassin. The Forest is perfect for assassins... Maybe I don't have to do this on my own. A smile pulling at her lips, the woman blurted out a question to follow her sudden thoughts, "Do you want to help me? ... How do you feel about forest sprites?"

[ex-aesmoonstar-blog]

Sharing is Caring » Moonbyul & Jia

[palminjae-blog]

      It didn’t make sense to make the trip home despite her break, since she could just stay at the school for about an hour – including a chance for lunch – before her next class. It made sense to her, even if it didn’t make sense to her parents. It wasn’t like they were her form of transportation, though if they had she was sure they’d be fine with it. So she spent the first half of that hour every day sitting on her laptop at a table in one of the common areas.

      Or at least she usually did. The tables were all occupied today, though, so she sat with her laptop on her crossed legs, hating the way she had to lean over to see the screen, which put an ache in her neck. In retrospect, there were tables that were half open that she could ask to sit at. One of the tables was actually empty, but it had no chairs around it and she was too nervous to ask anyone sitting at others tables if she could use one of their empty chairs.

      Seemed she’d have to settle with sitting on the floor until lunch. Thankfully, it came faster than she’d expected, given the school network wasn’t good enough to run Aestilian and she knew she’d get sucked into it too quickly, anyway. Much better to resist the temptation to log on rather than risk missing her class.

      When the clock on her desktop shifted to noon, she closed the device and slipped it away, pushing herself to her feet and heading for the cafe. She fidgeted with her ponytail as she picked out her lunch, the do inevitably always pulled to the side throughout the day, since she had a habit of tugging or twirling on it when she was bored or nervous. This was actually the former, for once, since she usually ended up accidentally stepping in someone’s way or reaching for something that they’d wanted.

      That day was pretty much going without a problem, and she’d done a pretty good job of not overly stressing herself out unless you counted the table incident and she didn’t, so she decided to treat herself with dessert. Making her way over, she eyed the sweet treats, her eyes falling on a cinnamon roll that looked way too good to be real. The last one left, at that. That meant it just had to be good.

      So she reached for it, only to brush fingers with another girl as well. “I’m sorry,” she quietly squeaked out as she pulled her hand back, fingers immediately going for the strands of hair over her shoulder. But the other student was apologizing, as well, something that threw her off and caused her fingers to pause in their fidgeting.

      Her eyes grew wide when the dark-haired girl told her to take it and she quickly shook her head a bit. “No, no. You were here first, you should totally take it,” she answered, already thinking she should take back her little reward of the dessert, since she’d already let this little mishap stress her out more than it should have.

       But then a thought came to mind, one she was sure would have her parents more than ecstatic once they heard about it – if they heard about it. “Why don’t we share?” the words passed her lips before she really had a chance to think about them, to contemplate if that was the right course of action in this situation. The other girl seemed nice, though. So far, anyway. What could be the harm in actually attempting to make a friend, for once?

[ex-aesmoonstar-blog]

"No, no, it's okay, you go ahead and enjoy it!" Moonbyul was feeling more uncomfortable by the second, but she wasn't going to just walk away with the cinnamon roll when she knew someone else wanted it. It felt like one of those moments when two people are walking towards each other and end up colliding, only to experience a few seconds of 'Okay, you go. Wait, I'll go left, you go right. Or, wait--'

She wasn't going to let the situation proceed like that, however, and went so far as to place the treat on the other girl's plate, practically forcing her to take it. But her action coincided with a question from the stranger and she pulled her hand back, surprised by the proposal. "Ah... really?" Moonbyul hadn't even considered sharing as a possibility. The dessert was certainly big enough to be split into two halves with neither person left unsatisfied with the size of their portion. And... it's not like she had anyone else to eat her lunch with, anyway.

A smile tugged at the corners of her lips as Moonbyul nodded, agreeing to the offer. "I'll go ahead and pay for it along with the rest of my lunch and then we can find somewhere to sit together. Unless you prefer to split the roll, take your half, and then eat with your own friends. I wouldn't mind," she hastily added the second option, realizing that this person may already have lunch plans. She didn't want to make her feel obligated to dine with her just because they're sharing some of their food.

Regardless of whether they ate together or not, they still needed to pay, so Moonbyul led them over to the register and took care of her meal, giving the brunette room to decide what she wanted to do. Truthfully, she hoped the girl would agree to sit with her. It wasn't particularly easy for her to make friends at the university, so this kind of opportunity didn't come along very often. But she also wouldn't force anything, so she decided to just be as friendly as possible and let the rest happen as it may.

When both lunches were paid for, Moonbyul glanced over at the other girl and smiled, gesturing toward the cafeteria before speaking, "So, should we find a table for two or would you just like to take your cinnamon roll and go?"

[aesxbobby-deactivated20150822]

∺ Cat and Mouse ‣ moonbyul x jiwon

[aesxbobby-deactivated20150822]

❝Now, now. No need to be so sarcastic and mean, little miss. In fact, you should consider yourself lucky! I was here to save you from death earlier, and once again, I’ve assisted you in killing the hounds!❞ Aah, what utter crap was he saying. Rather than helping, Chiwon knew, he was getting on the girl’s way instead, bothering her and slowing her down with her quest but surely she couldn’t deny that the protection he had casted on her earlier helped. ❝Do you not have any potions with you? They come to be helpful, you know and they’re being sold all over the shopping district for cheap unless – ah, of course. New players are always penniless.❞

Walking over to where the last hound once lay, its body disappearing over time, Chiwon picked up the items it dropped – fangs and fur, all useless to him, but perhaps useful to the girl. ❝Finder’s keepers,❞ However, just because if was useless to him and useful to the girl doesn’t exactly mean that he would be giving it to her. Waving the fang in the air for the fellow silverette to see, he placed it in his inventory, truly enjoying his time as a tease.

Then came her question. What would he indeed, if any, gain from helping a swordsman who hasn’t even reached half of his level and one of the opposite faction? Nothing, to be blunt. Nothing but sheer entertainment from fooling around the girl, delaying her with all of her quests and simply getting on her way while wearing a mask screaming “I am your friend!”. Chiwon was only interested of one thing, and it was for him to see what the girl would do once she hits her boiling point. Would she run away? Would she try to attack him? Log off? Report to the admins? He would like to see her mad, to see her try and raise her sword against him. He wishes to see her fall under his silly game.

❝I simply wish to lend a helping hand to a new player is all.❞ He smoothly lied as he brushed his fingers through the white locks of his hair, still with a confident smile drawn upon his features. A party request then appeared before them, the archmage naming their party as silly as “white and silver unite” and toggling the party settings so that items and experienced are shared equally. ❝Now what, pray tell, is your quest about, hm? We are of different class and faction after all, so I can never be sure what quest you’re on now.❞

With a tilt of his head to the side, the level seventy-three then scanned the girl from head to toe with a hum, arms crossing as she waved his hand and opened his inventory. ❝You could use a few things. Potions, for example, and buff scrolls. I have a few from the market and some I’ve made of my own.❞ Requesting for a trade with the girl, he smiled like how a friendly man would – if only he truly was friendly.

To successfully fool an enemy, they say, you have to win their trust first.

[ex-aesmoonstar-blog]

She actually had to make a conscious effort not to roll her eyes at his words. The worst part was that she couldn't even deny he had saved her from dying that second time around, although they both knew if he hadn't interfered in the first place then his protection wouldn't have been necessary. Still, she kept those thoughts to herself, only replying when he asked a direct question.

Just as she opened her mouth to respond, the man answered his own query so the knight shut her lips once more and settled for a half shrug, half nod as her response. Of course she didn't have the money for health potions. It was trivial missions like these that provided her with the coin she needed to stock up on items so she would then be able to do more important quests, but the player in front of her appeared to be trying his best to ensure that Celeste would never recieve her monetary reward.

Maintaining her silence, Celeste watched the archmage wistfully as he continued to toy with her. I could have sold those... She thought, a soft sigh escaping her as the prizes from the defeated hound disappeared into his inventory. The common items weren't extremely valuable but they still could have provided her with enough money for at least one potion, or perhaps even a cheap defensive item. She didn't think there was much hope of getting him to relinquish the items to her so she tried to forget about it, rather choosing to turn her focus to his next question.

"All I need to do is defeat three consecutive packs of snow hounds and I'll get a monetary reward from this old man in town," Celeste finally spoke, her voice quiet but sure. It was one of the beginner quests - the ones they give to new players so they can bring their level up and get acquainted with the game. While she had already learned how to play, she was still at such a low level that these types of missions were beneficial to her, helping her to gain the experience and gold she needed.

"I'm Celeste, by the way," she added as he was busy preparing the trade. Introductions weren't completely necessary in this game since their username was shown right next to their level and faction information but the silverette always felt better starting a team with proper greetings between players. "And, fair warning, I don't have much to offer in return for the potions. All I've got are some plants I collected and a few prize items from killing the weaker enemies on my way in here," she returned his smile with a vaguely apologetic expression on her face, feeling a little guilty for not having anything useful to him.

Suspicion of the magician's motives still lingered in the back of her mind, but Celeste was starting to let her guard down. She couldn't completely trust her new teammate yet, as he had left too much of a bad first impression for that, but she was wondering if maybe she had judged him too harshly. Perhaps he just didn't know how else to talk to people, apart from the obnoxious way he had made himself known to her. Whatever his deal was, she supposed she would find out soon enough. After all, they were about to be spending quite a lot of time with each other as they joined forces and embarked on this quest - Any hidden schemes wouldn't stay that way for long.

[ex-aesmoonstar-blog]

Helping Hand » Celeste & Young Gun

Celeste was tired of dying. It was getting repetitive, which was probably a sign she needed to give up on this quest. But she was not a quitter, and since she had already begun, she was determined to see it through to the end. Perhaps it was a bit ambitious of the swordswoman to think she could make her way through the Forest of Tephra on her own, but the rewards waiting for her at the end of the mission motivated her to keep going.

These particular woods were better suited for players accustomed to navigating the shadows, with an endless expanse of gigantic trees creating a dark canopy overhead. One's sense of sound was far more reliable than one's sense of sight, which Celeste had learned the hard way. Her first death was caused by some sort of monstrous raven that she never saw coming. If she had been more prepared, she would have known that she needed to listen for the swooping of wings as the only way to indicate an incoming attack from such a creature.

Another lesson she learned from her second death: the clearcut paths are tricks - avoid them. Not wanting to get lost, Celeste had stuck close to the trail and it ended up leading her straight into a death trap. So the next time she respawned, she started to create her own routes, relying heavily on her game map to guide her in the right direction.

She continued on like that for a while, checking the map every few feet and fighting her way through minor woodland enemies, until she stumbled across a small campsite. It appeared to be abandoned, with no sign of anyone returning to reclaim the place anytime soon. Curious, Celeste wanted to explore this place a little bit before returning to her actual quest. But she knew that many things in this forest weren't what they seemed, so she stayed just outside the area and took her time looking around in search of hidden dangers, ensuring that it was safe before cautiously stepping further in.

That turned out to be her biggest mistake yet. She should have just kept walking, ignoring the quiet little camp completely. Unfortunately, that's not what Celeste had chosen to do and as soon as she set foot on the grounds, she was surrounded by a horde of angry forest sprites. She had no idea where they all came from but they were on top of her in seconds, causing her third death before she even had time to react.

After she was revived she tried again, this time content in the fact that she already knew what was going to happen and therefore would be at an advantage to defeating the sprites. But the beings were too fast and too strong for her so she experienced her fourth death... and then her fifth, and her sixth, and eventually she just stopped counting. Celeste didn't stop trying though, her only hope being that perhaps another traveler would soon wander into the fight and lend a hand. If not, she was going to be at this for quite a while...

[ex-aeszitao-blog-blog]

【 Necessity 】Zhao&Celeste

『 。。。 』Zhao looked about, taking a few moments to take stock and recall what he had been doing before he’d retired the previous day. With a frown, he took out his log. He hated having to check his log, but he knew he wouldn’t remember otherwise. Oh yeah. That one. A heavy sigh left the magician, and he took seat on a bench while he pulled up the interface to search for someone else who needed help. It broke immersion, a bit, but right now it was necessary. The monsters he was supposed to be fighting had absolutely destroyed him yesterday.

Zhao Huo: Hey, anyone running the mid-10s quest around here?

                      It was around then that he saw her. Skin dark as the midnight sky, hair shimmering like stardust and seeming to melt into her silver armor. Raising a hand to block the flare of sunlight off her shoulder, Zhao peered through his fingers at her. She seemed tired, and (from a quick glance at still more immersion breaking features that were all too necessary) saw she was also both near his level and probably newly revived. Chancing a glance at the chat interface, he shrugged when there was no answer. He’d likely gone unnoticed. Climbing to his feet, the dark magician made his way over to her, and held out a health potion, his quest log in the other hand. When he spoke, his voice was soft, mysterious. His eyes betrayed little of his hope or the sudden wave of anxiety that had him wondering if this was a bad idea.

                     “ I recently stocked up, but … you seem to need this more than I do. Do you happen to need help on this quest? If you do, we can team up. Two knights are better than one, after all. ”

[ex-aesmoonstar-blog]

Once again, Celeste had taken on a quest that was proving to be a bit much for her. She was always so sure she would have no problem defeating higher-leveled monsters, as long as they were still somewhere in their teens. It wasn't a huge gap but with her level stuck at twelve, she remained much too weak to ever actually kill the enemies she thought she could kill.

This time, she had gone after a level twenty fire troll that was wreaking havoc just outside of a nearby town. She figured her armor would protect her from most of the flames coming from attacks, and so it wouldn't be that big of a deal that the troll was eight levels above her. Her assumptions were proven painfully incorrect, however, as she didn't take into account that the troll had some friends to back it up. One troll she could probably have managed. A whole mob of them? .... Well, Celeste made a valiant effort but she very quickly achieved her inevitable death.

The swordswoman respawned a safe distance from where the danger remained, feeling tired and defeated. As she stood there and let her energy return, she considered checking the game's interface to determine if there was anyone in the area that could assist her but stubbornly decided against it, not wanting to appear weak by crying for help. So, Celeste continued to stand in place, considering how to proceed from there. She didn't have enough coin to buy herself a health potion and she clearly wasn't ready to try the same quest again. Perhaps she could go to an easier area and work on leveling up before returning to the fire trolls?

She was mulling over that idea when she noticed someone approaching her and immediately tensed. He looked... possibly dangerous, with that dark and mysterious outfit he had on. In Celeste's experience, the only players who chose to wear all black were usually people you wanted to stay away from. Nothing good came from those who dwelled in the shadows. Still, one look at his stats told her that he was a fellow Tierra, and wasn't that much higher in level. His offering of the health potion furthered her good impression of him and she let herself relax, a smile gracing her lips as he spoke.

"Are you sure you don't mind giving this to me?" She questioned, taking the item from him but holding it gently, fully prepared to hand it back over if he were to change his mind. "As for your suggestion..." Celeste paused, thinking about it. She hadn't wanted to ask for help but if it was being offered to her... There really was no reason to refuse. "I would certainly appreciate the assistance. Do you already know of the quest in this area?"

[aesxbobby-deactivated20150822]

∺ Cat and Mouse ‣ moonbyul x jiwon

[aesxbobby-deactivated20150822]

The rage that would become obvious on the faces of his enemies was one of the reasons why Chiwon deeply enjoys what he does. The way their fingers would curl into their palms, digging into their skin and leaving behind crescents or the way their face would turn red in anger despite the forced smile on their lips. Sadly, Chiwon couldn’t tell at all with the female before him, what with her skin being dark – eerily dark – for him to notice any change.

A level twelve rogue the girl was, or so the bar above her head states, and with a victorious smirk on his face, the man raised his hands up in the air as though a thief caught red-handed, forced to give up and give in to the police. ❝Hey, worry not, I was simply concerned of you and how the,❞ he moved his right hand with the forefinger pointed out, drawing invisible circles on the air on it as though encaging the girl inside, ❝health bar above your head had turned red. That indicates you’re in a pinch, you know, just in case you’re knew and you don’t know.❞ His shoulders shrugging as he spoke, Chiwon made sure that his voice sounded as sarcastic as could be to accompany with the lopsided smile plastered on his face and hearing another growl from a distance, he turned his head towards it to see another hound.

❝Oh, there you go. The animal of your dreams with its buddies. Please don’t worry, I won’t do anything this time but watch. Oh, you better move fast, they seem to be aggressive.❞ Walking over towards one of the leafless trees, the archmage let his back relax against it, arms crossed together along with her feet as he, as promised, watched the girl try to fight off a pack of snow hounds, all three levels above her own while her health was still in red. Humming to himself, Chiwon sighed, opening his grimoire once more. ❝Protection,❞ He called, one hand holding the heavy book while the other held out towards the girl’s direction, casting the buff towards her instead of to himself. ❝What would you do without me?❞ He chuckled, knowing well that he was beginning to get in the girl’s nerves.

And then, almost like a replay from earlier, once only one hound was left standing, he casts once more, ❝Orb of Lava.❞ The same scene from earlier playing all over again. A magic circle appearing right above his grimoire, a red orb forming atop it and then, once it was well-formed enough, it flew towards the hound, killing it in an instant as red and yellow liquid engulfed its body. ❝Oops,❞ The silver-haired man grinned, raising his hand up in the air once more right after putting away his book. ❝Hand slipped.❞

The girl was mad. Beyond pissed, perhaps. A level twelve glaring at a level seventy-three as though the deadly look in her eyes could kill him. How cute. ❝Oh if you so insist, young missy, I wouldn’t mind forming a party with you! After all, you’re in a quest, are you not? I can make it easier for you. So what do you say?❞ He held his gloved hand towards her, ❝No more deadly glares?❞

[ex-aesmoonstar-blog]

"Oh, concerned were you? How nice." His patronizing tone infuriated her more than anything else so far. It would have been one thing if he had genuinely been trying to help her out, but this smugness he exuded made it perfectly clear that he knew how much he aggravated her and was having the time of his life because of it. "Do you always wander forests by yourself in the hopes of sweeping in at the last moment to help poor damsels in distress such as myself?" She asked, sarcasm heavy, but got no reply as the emerging pack of hounds commanded both of the players' attentions. The archmage's words about sticking to the sidelines for this one should have come as good news but considering that she hadn't yet had a chance to heal, Celeste wasn't sure she could handle another mob of these things on her own. She certainly wasn't going to admit that out loud, however, so she readied her blade once again and began the fight.

It was considerably worse than the first round. The swordswoman was struggling to get any good attacks in, as most of her time was spent dodging and evading the hounds. Still, her pride prevented her from requesting the aid of the other player who was surprisingly still hanging around. Part of her had suspected he would sneak away during this fight, leaving her to the mercy of the snow hounds but the protection spell that soon enveloped her indicated he was continuing to watch over her quest, which both angered her and filled her with a reluctant sense of relief. If it weren't for him, she would already be a goner and she was sure he was one hundred percent aware of that fact.

With her newly increased defense, Celeste was finally making headway against the snarling hounds around her. One by one, they started to drop off, leading to a repeat of the earlier scenario. There was just one snow hound left and all the swordswoman needed to do was lift her weapon and swing once more, then she would be done with her quest and she could leave behind her new friend. She prepared for the attack, gripping the sword handle tightly as she raised up her arm then brought the blade crashing down, putting all of her strength into the hit. But she wasn't fast enough. Celeste slashed through empty air, her target already dead on the ground, just like before.

It only took her moments to realize the mage had done it again. He ruined her quest in the exact same way. She was absolutely livid. Celeste slowly turned towards him, grateful that she had her sword and shield to hold onto, hiding her shaking hands. Even more grateful that the unnatural color of her skin prevented him from seeing any of the anger on her face. She didn't want to give him the satisfaction of knowing how much he was affecting her. But there was nothing to mask the glare in her eyes as she stepped closer to him, wishing she could just kill him and get it over with. Unfortunately, she was still a beginner and their extreme level gap was an embarrassing example of that. There was no way she could last against someone so strong.

His unexpected proposal took her by surprise and her immediate instinct was to refuse him. "What would you be gaining by forming a party with a level twelve? I've got nothing to offer you in return for your... services. Besides, you've already proven yourself a liar. I can't work with someone I don't trust." She was suspicious, and rightfully so. But the more she thought it over, the more she realized this could work to her benefit. He had already ruined the spirit of her quest, so why not just finish it off alongside him? Then he would go on his own way and Celeste would be able to start over with a new quest, content in the knowledge that he wouldn't be bothering her again. On the other hand, if she turned him down now, he would never leave her alone.

So, despite her doubts, she extended her hand towards his and shook. "Fine; I suppose it matters not what your motivations are. You've proven that you're capable in battle and that's good enough for me. No more deadly glares." She agreed to his request, ignoring the feeling deep in her gut telling her that she just made a big mistake.

[ex-aesmoonstar-blog]

Sharing is Caring » Moonbyul & Jia

Moonbyul could hear the professor's voice continuing to drone on in the front of the classroom, attempting to hold his pupils' attention until the very last second. She didn't know why he bothered - Nearly all of the students (including herself) had lost interest about ten minutes ago and were now anxiously watching the clock as though that would make it move any faster. While the last few minutes were ticking by, Moonbyul slid her materials into her bag and threw the strap over her shoulder, knee bouncing impatiently. As soon as the hand reached twelve she jumped up and headed for the door, eager for a break after a long morning of back-to-back classes.

The rumbling in her stomach was telling her that she needed to grab some lunch before anything else, so Moonbyul aimed for the university cafe and made her way to the various food stations, picking up a tray as she went. She slowly went around all the stations, taking a different dish from each one. A bit of soup here, a bowl of rice there.. Soon enough, her tray was loaded. She was about to head to the register when the dessert table caught her eye. Well, just one more thing can't hurt.... She easily convinced herself, though her feet had already carried her over to the array of sweets before she could even finish her thought.

Brow furrowed in concentration, she carefully examined the variety of pastries for a solid minute, taking this decision very seriously. There seemed to be more options laid out than usual, which only made it a more difficult choice. Her gaze eventually landed on a plate in the back, with a lone cinnamon roll sitting directly in the middle. It looked incredible, the icing dripping enticingly down its doughy sides. Without giving it a second thought, Moonbyul reached for the chosen dessert, only to end up touching skin instead.

She immediately pulled her hand back, lifting her head up to meet the eyes of the girl beside her. She must have been too busy weighing her options to notice the company but she certainly saw her now, the two of them standing in mirrored positions with hands hovered awkwardly over the only cinnamon roll. "Oh, uh, I apologize. We must have both went for it at the same time." Moonbyul gave a small chuckle before gesturing at the food. "Um, go ahead and take it. I'll just choose something else."

[aesxbobby-deactivated20150822]

∺ Cat and Mouse ‣ moonbyul x jiwon

The game has turned dull – or so Chiwon would love to say but it wasn’t. Not with the rumors about the game, no. About how water was lacking there, yet Chuncheon is flooded, or the animal sightings old grandfathers speak about to the children, most probably a silly story made to scare the children away yet gamers have come to believe. Aestilian Knights is affecting the town of Chuncheon, or so the rumors say, and being a resident of the rumored town, well, Chiwon stayed to play the game to see whether or not it truly is real. Though, even with the rumors up and spreading about, the archmage had later found another reason for him to stay and continue playing the game.

The first twenty levels was fun, the challenge with the mobs as a low-level magician and all, but then the next twenty became easier, along with the next and now, as a level seventy-three archmage, it wouldn’t be so much of a lie at all to say that the game is now a child’s play to him. He can now do quests on his own, unless it was a raid party that definitely required him to join forces with others and though most high-level monsters are difficult to kill, he can slay them with his health barely reaching half. Magicians are boasted to be the strongest area of attack and long range class, and now that he is an archmage, Chiwon can’t help but agree.

So then, with him being a high-level magician, all of the challenges too easy for him to even find them challenging, what was there left for him to do as entertainment? To bully, of course. To toy around players with levels lower than his, players who can’t ever kill him no matter how much they wish to and it isn’t that he’s invisible, no. He simply chooses players who are within the range of level ten to twenty.

The first player he had bothered logged out not an hour after he had gotten on their way, the second threatened to report him before logging out and the third… Well, the third currently stood not far from him, clueless of his existence as he carefully stalks about within the white and green forest of Estercrest, the sound of snow crushing underneath his boots noisy enough for even the birds to fly away after just a single step, yet still, quiet enough for the rogue to hear. Or perhaps she already knew that he was there and opted to ignore him instead? Unable to face him and raise a blade in a declare of battle. He is an Aestilian, the rogue being Tierra, they can battle at any time as members of opposing factions but their level gap was huge. Just like how Chiwon likes it.

Watching as the rogue attacked her nth snow hound, Chiwon finally decided to step in, waiting for the monster’s health to come near to zero first before quickly casting a skill. ❝Orb of Lava!❞ The archmage called out, a magic circle appearing from above the purple grimoire in his hands before shooting out a red orb – shooting towards the hound and leaving it to fall on the ground, lifeless whilst molten lava continued to coat its body. ❝Oops,❞ Chiwon chuckled as he walked out from behind the tree. ❝Too slow, mademoiselle.❞

[ex-aesmoonstar-blog]

Celeste was only just getting started. She was a beginner at this, too swept up in the excitement of a brand new game to truly care about the strange connections to her own town of Chuncheon. Water levels were changing all the time. Did it really matter if it happened to coincide with a fictional game? No, and she wasn't going to let her focus stray like the other players all because of some meaningless speculations.

Up until now, all of her quests had been accomplished with the help of others. But now that Celeste had managed to pass at least ten levels, she wanted to concentrate on solo activites to hone her skills. She wanted to be stronger and more capable - an opponent fit for the toughest of competitors. It felt strange to be without the aid of her teammates for the first time since starting this game but perhaps it was a good change, she thought. Completing this quest on her own would give her a sense of satisfaction like nothing else in this game so far, and nothing was going to distract her from her goal.

Her quest had led her into the forest of Estercrest, one of the safer forests in the game. All that was required of her was to defeat a pack of hounds, by any means necessary. Easy enough,she had thought to herself when she first entered the snow-covered woods. "Apparently, the most difficult part of this journey is actually finding the damn things..." Celeste muttered as she trekked deeper into the trees, eventually stumbling upon a clearing. As soon as she set foot into the open area, her senses went on high alert. It was much more quiet than it had been just moments ago, which Celeste took as a sign that danger was near.

Sure enough, a group of snow hounds materialized from the shadows of the trees, snarling and baring their pearly white teeth. The swordsman prepared her weapon and got to work, thankful that she had a shield to keep some of the beasts at bay while she attacked the ones nearest to her. It was more difficult than she had originally anticipated. They weren't very strong monsters but the fact that it was one Celeste against a whole pack of them made it feel as though she wasn't making any progress at all.

At one point during the chaos, she vaguely registered that another player was in the vicinity but as long as they weren't planning on battling her, then it wasn't something she needed to worry about yet. Instead, she continued hacking away at the hounds until she was finally down to the last one. Its health was low, but then so was Celeste's. She knew if she could manage to get one last good hit in, she would have successfully completed her very first solo quest. So, she used her last remaining ounce of strength and raised her sword, only to watch the creature fall in front of her before Celeste could even complete the attack.

She stared in disbelief for a moment, eyes locked onto the lava flowing over what was supposed to be her kill. Irritation flooded her, replacing the pride and satisfaction that she had been seconds from achieving. Celeste slowly turned to the mage behind her, pushing down her aggravation and plastering a smile onto her face. "Yes, I suppose I was too slow... Thanks for your assistance, monsieur." Her polite words was quite clearly forced, making it obvious how she really felt about his interference. "But I believe I could have managed that one on my own, don't you think?"

[yoojinns]

문별의발닦개

[mamamoo-]