[color=turquoise]Day 1, Still Evening

Cinera looked at Mai'lo, a bit surprised when she was asked to sit. After that whole scene, they... they wanted her to join them? She had thought that she looked like a crazy mess right now, with her orange hair tangled and matted against her wet cheeks. Not to mention that she was still crying and hyperventilating quite a bit. Were there really people out there who were this understanding? And under these circumstances? She wasn't sure if she could believe it.

Either way though, she found her body almost moving on its own as she numbly grabbed a chair and sat down with them. She moved slowly, almost trying to be as careful as she could, but one arm remained around her own waist as she held herself together with silent sobs that shook her shoulders. Her arms were shaking uncontrollably. Cinera had never had a panic attack in her life, but this was the start of them for her in this long, stressful journey. She had no idea how to deal with this. Everyone was staring at her, but they ordered her food and drink and treated her like she was a close friend.

Before she knew it, she felt her fear slowly subsiding as she regained control over herself. The anxiety attack was subsiding in the presence of these strangers, and so she quietly wiped away her tears and looked down at her lap. It felt nice to breathe again, but everything felt so heavy. Her body was weak, and she felt sort of emotionally... numb. Obviously her coping with this entire situation was not very graceful. Cinera didn't even know what to do with herself. The others tried to talk to her, but she just didn't know how to reply. Her hands stared silently down at her lap as her vision even faded in and out, a bit. [i]I never knew that freaking out could take so much energy out of me... God, I'm such a freak...[/i]

Suddenly, she heard some coins rustle near her and cautiously glanced up, feeling a bit uneasy after making such a show in front of them. She wanted to believe these were good people, but honestly everything felt so fake in this game, now. As real as it was, everything she had thought to be true about this game was a lie. Her mind whirled as she tried to cope, much less get a grip on the reality in front of her.

[b]”Uhm... Are... Are you sure...?”[/b] Now that she'd had a chance to breathe and the anxiety attack had subsided, Cinera was able to speak a bit more clearly, though her voice was quiet and raspy. [b]”I mean... I appreciate it, but it's the start of the game and... I'd... I'd hate to take anything from you so early on, when we haven't had a chance to build up any money, yet. I... I do have some more bread in my inventory... I-I just...”[/b] Tears welled up in her eyes, once more, and she glanced down. [b]”Sorry... nevermind...”[/b]

Cinera didn't want to be wary of them. After all, they had been nothing but kind to her. It was just her crazy, mixed-up mind. She had to keep reminding herself that. Before she could say anything else though, the man from before (Delcastle, was it?) began to explain a plan that really had her confused. Wait, this was a set group? Had she joined another party? What was going on? Cinera had thought they were being kind, but after that explanation she felt like this was an offer for her to join them. Twice in one day, really? At this point, she had no idea that they were all one large group, so it made her quite conflicted.

On one hand, she really wanted to go have to her old group... They had been kind enough to extend an offer to her, first. But would they want her back if she didn't come back with the food she had promised? Again, she didn't even know how large the group really was... It would be embarrassing to go back, not even knowing these things. But she also didn't know any of these people. What if they had ulterior motives for helping her? And what about Sapphira, her new fox-tailed friend? She was such a sweet girl. What if [i]that[/i] party was full of evil people? Then her new friend would be alone.

This new group was stable, though. Trustworthy. They were kind and they had many resources. A smart game player would choose the World Walkers. But Cinera just couldn't get her friend out of her mind. And she was tired. Glancing at her inventory to check on the bread, in a sort of paranoid just-in-case kind of way, she noticed that there was a friend request. It was from Sapphira! Immediately, she accepted and opened her inbox to message her, only to find a message already there. She sent a message back: [b]”Hi! I'm okay... I ran into some new people at the tavern. They helped me with a... problem. I'm... not sure what to do. Where are you?”[/b]

Okay, so that message sounded a bit like someone on the verge of suicide, or like she had been kidnapped, but that wasn't intentional. She was just majorly tired. Everything felt emotionally and physically dead, and she was afraid that if she didn't see at least a semi-familiar face soon that she would break down, again. As everyone began to leave, she was handed the key for an inn room, for which she expressed her sincere gratitude. And then the group began to disperse. She started thinking that she might head for the inn soon, but realized Sapphira might come looking for her. So instead, she stayed at the table and sipped on her apple cider to soothe her stomach. [i]I... I think I will take them up on their offer... I feel at ease when I'm with them. My parents... I need to make it back alive to see them. This is going to be a very important decision...[/i][/color]

[@Sif][@Zelosse][@PyroDash888]