Hybrid post between Keia Vewyx and Bikko. Never. 3k word count. Ever. Again. [center]"[i] There were questions she wanted to ask... About the sky that stretched forever, who's beauty was as eternal as it's cool blue reach. How long would it take before someone would first fly the course of it's lonely tale? How cool would its gentle winds be, as they wraps around her? Could there be happiness in these skies? In something so blue? " A soft smile.[/i] [b]A grim grin. Could there be happiness in these skies? In something untrue? How strong can its terrible gales blow, until it affects performance? How high can one soar before the game forces them back down within its invisible walls? About the many different skies that existed in this world, their images stretching further and further. These were the answers he sought...[/b] "[/center] ... [hider=Part 1][indent]An unexpected bite from the small beak disturbed the thoughts of the giant man, an uncomfortable numbness slithering up his spine to educate him of this world's pain. There was an irritation in his gesture as he unfolded his arms and pushed the owners of the beaks away, though the chickens and their young did not seem daunted by this action. If anything they seemed more excited. A gentle breeze distracted his mind from the chicks, pushing lightly against his statuesque and unmoving form in the center of the chicken coop. He knew that the people he waited for were not coming, and yet Ohka continued to wait. Despite the annoyances of the beaked inhabitants of this fenced-in community and the knowledge of his futile endeavors, he still held onto a vain hope that he was wrong. So he sat there and waited, watching as the sea of wheat outside the feathered prison swayed softly in the light wind. Ohka sighed wearily, and then as if in response... ...the fields whistled... ...Guiding her. Calling to her. To Kanami. It urged her forward as she followed the wind carved path, eager to break from the golden maze that she had so carelessly found herself in. Her steps quickly gathered momentum, her vision blurred as the wheat spun around her. Then it stopped. The silence vanished as voices flooded the air. The musical choir of society. Each note was of a different scale. Each step, a different note. Each soul, a different step. Then she heard the chirping. Kanami’s mind grounded as her senses receded inwards and her focus changed accordingly. She found herself staring at the large man before her, flocked by a sea of yellow cotton balls. His eyes met hers as the breeze hushed the air around them once more. 'A NPC?' He wondered. 'No, she doesn't look like she lives here; her outfit is similar to mine. A player. But why is she here?' he quickly remembered that he was sitting in the middle of a chicken coop and promptly rose, a few small yellow balls raining down from his lap and retreating to the larger hens.[/indent] [b]"I'm... waiting, for someone,"[/b] his gruff voice escaped involuntarily, [b]"A friend, he... I mean, he probably isn't coming but I was just-"[/b] He clenched his jaw to keep it from opening again. After a brief moment he cleared his throat and, regaining his composure, started over, [b]"This is where my friends and I met in when we played other MMO games. It... It's a habit now."[/b] [indent]She watched as he struggled to contain what his embarrassment, his striking features softened by his sudden stutters and gentle surroundings. It was absurd. Absurd how he felt the need to explain himself, how he seemed to desire for her to simply move along and ignore everything that slipped out of his mouth. She burst out into laughter, causing him to cringe. He was an idiot, she giggled in her mind. A fool. A clown![/indent] [i]"Why? W-why would you do this?"[/i] choking with laughter, the Nobelle planted herself against the wall. He looked like he was going to say something, but instead grunted and looked away. [i]"So...really,"[/i] she continued, her fit ending, [i]"What are you doing here?"[/i] [b]"I told you already. I am- was waiting for a friend,"[/b] he reiterated irritatably. Ah, that's no good. He remembered that his usual attitude left him alone or banned from previous MMO games. What was all that practicing in the mirror before if he wasn't going to use it? Exhaling to calm himself, he forced a strained smile and tried returning her question,[b] "What are you doing here?"[/b] [i]"The wind blew in this direction,"[/i] she stated casually, eyeing the figure before her cautiously. He was struggling to contain his anger, she thought. He was a bomb that was afraid of blowing up. [i]"So I just tagged along."[/i] [indent]As repulsive as the smile made him look, it intrigued Kanami. It felt strangely familiar. Regardless, she still felt as awkward looking at his forged smile as he felt keeping it on his face. A chill ran down her spine as she looked away from the figure before waving her hand at him as if dispeling a foul odor.[/indent] [i]"Put that away before you hurt someone! You should really considering fixing the way you express your anger you know!"[/i] [indent]His pitiful smile immediately flipped into an angry grimace upon hearing those words, and though he wanted to say otherwise he knew she was not mistaken. His hands balled up into trembling fists, an action that lit up her eyes as she watched him. She felt as if there was a beauty in his stuggle of control, a primitive joy that toyed with her thoughts. He was infuriated when he thought of the time that he wasted waiting for friends that would not show, of how some girl he just encountered revealed his pitiful attempts to hide his flaws so blatantly, and of how easily he was seen through! He wondered why he waited here in the first place when he knew that his friend had already started playing without him.[/indent] [b]"What... a... waste of time!"[/b] he snarled angrily, an action to which Kanami watched with bated breath. Their feathered company scattered in terror at the man's rage-filled growl, launching away from the small coop and anywhere else that meant away from the towering human. Unlike the chickens however, she was not as phased by his outburst. In place of that fear, there was interest. An entire wheat fields supply of it. [i]"Forgive me... "[/i] she spoke softly as a sea of feathers rained around, [i]"I-I didn't wish to upset you."[/i] [b]"Then you shouldn't-!"[/b] he started, but quickly cut himself off. Watch your temper, he warned himself mentally, or else this'll just be a repeat of before. [b]"It's fine,"[/b] he exhaled as he forced himself to relax. Kanami smiled. [b]"Just... watch yourself, alright? Don't bother people for no reason."[/b] The inhabitants of the chicken coop dodged his feet as leapt over its small fence. Surprised, she flinched as he turned away from her and headed towards the town center. [b]"Just go back to doing what you came here to do." [/b] [indent]A sense adrenaline seized her. Like an addict stripped of her drug Kanami reached out, desperately trying to salvage the relationship with the oaf of a man. It wasn't a need for her to communicate with the brute, but rather an intense desire.[/indent] [i]"I'm not sure what to do!"[/i] the girl managed, her neon blue eyes charged daggers as her hand firmly set itself on the oaf's shoulder, stopping him. [i]"I wasn't really up to anything besides..."[/i] [indent]Her uncertainty embarassed her, even Naomi was always decisive in her actions regardless of how the scenario presented itself. He silently waited for her to finish.[/indent] [i]"Well...wandering around."[/i] [b]"O-oh. Well, most of us are just wandering around. It is a new game, right? Just like any other RPG or MMO,"[/b] he said as he carefully removed her hand, a little confused as to why she had a problem with it. [b]"Anyways... You can try a quest if you are totally lost. They're probably a few just in town."[/b] Not knowing of what else to say, he waved and continued walking away from her, a little brisker this time. [indent]The distance grew between the two.[/indent] [i]"I-I've never played a video game before!"[/i] she confessed boldly, stopping him in his tracks. [indent]She froze. And as he began to turn around, the girl quickly bent over to caress a chicklet that had followed the two daringly, eager to avoid facing whatever response the man had in store for her.[/indent] [b]"Never- never played,"[/b] he repeated to himself in confusion. Recalling that he wasn't alone, he cleared his throat distractedly and questioned, [b]"You've never played any game before? None at all?"[/b] [indent]Having already embarrassed herself by revealing the answer to his question, steam seemed to visibly rise from the small hunched over figure.[/indent] [i]"I-I've played games before!"[/i] she declared harshly as he crossed his arms, [i]"Just not video games..."[/i] [indent]He wondered for a moment why she was playing Threshold of Kakophonia if she didn't even have any experience in non-VR MMO or RPG games, but people have to start somewhere. An idea of redemption crawled into his mind, something to make up for all his PKing and bans from prevous MMO experiences. Using a fake cough to regain her attention from the chick, he offered her help.[/indent][/hider] [hider=Part 2][b]"There's usually a tutorial in games, but I guess since this is the first game using virtual reality they probably couldn't add it in. If that's so, I suppose I can... uh, help you until you get on your feet. I mean, it wouldn't be fun if you didn't know how to play, right? And you've already bought the game! And, uh... Yeah. I can help you. For a little while."[/b] He noticed her intensive glare as he spoke, taking extra precaution to avoid looking straight at her. He recalled how smooth it had sounded in his head, but now... it was embarassing. However, to be helping someone instead of fighting with them was an experience too good to pass up. Imagining himself looking like a good person instead of a violent delinquent, it almost gave him a goofy grin but he managed to withhold it. At least for now. [b]"But I am still going to play with my friends alright?"[/b] he quickly added. [b]"After you know how to play, I mean!"[/b] [indent]There it was again, she thought. What would have been a plain natural moment was twisted by his personality into something so shamelessly entertaining.[/indent] [i]"You know you could just say you're helping me and left it at that..."[/i] she chimed harmlessly, [i]"It's a noble thing you're doing, helping a stranger like me."[/i] [b]"Usually, your average stranger knows how to play the game they bought,"[/b] he grumbled, but his features were gentler than before. He watched her continue to play with the strange ball of fluff that refused to leave her hand, before looking in a different direction and muttered softly, [b]"It's obvious to help someone in need..."[/b] Being called noble, he felt good. [indent]Realization hit him, immediately breaking him from his brief joy as he spun around to look at her face-to-face.[/indent] [b]"You at least know what HP is, right? EXP? Dungeon diving?"[/b] He already expected her answers to be less than satisfactory, but he wanted to make sure that she wasn't a complete airhead that didn't even know what MMO meant. Of course, her only answer was: [i]"Hmmm..."[/i] [indent]Silence prevailed as the small chick chirped softly in her hand as if giving her the answers. Ohka waited impatiently, tapping his foot and stretching his neck, accompanied by a muted crackling, in anticipation.[/indent] [i]"...doesn't HP mean health points and EXP, expertise? Is Dungeon diving when you run into a dungeon?"[/i] [indent]Close enough. He nodded at her answers, glad that he picked up at least someone with common sense and a good guess.[/indent] [b]"My name is... my username is Ohka. O-H-K-A. Easy enough. Give me yours, too, so that we can add each other to our friends list. It'd make it easier to keep our eyes on each other that way."[/b] Ohka raised his arm and motioned for her to follow him as he started walking along the town's edge. [indent]Standing up, Kanami tucked the small chick into her loose pockets before walking besides him and staring at him with a knowing smile.[/indent] [i]"You could just say you wanted to be friend!"[/i] she declared as her eyes spied the icon of two hands shaking near the corner of her screen. He opened his mouth to object, but instead managed to hold down his anger and waited for her name. [indent]A dull transparent window suddenly lunged out at Kanami when she pressed the icon, causing her eyes to flare up with awe. Fumbling with the keypad, her fingers finally managed to sew together the four letters.[/indent] [i]"My name's Kanami,"[/i] she mused when she had finished, [i]"K-A-N-A and me with an i instead of an e, but you can call me whatever you want."[/i] [indent]Though Ohka hesitated at the end of her spelling instructions, he managed to finish at the same time Kanami did. Their respective usernames materialized above them, hovering just a few inches above their heads. Nodding somberly at their progress, Ohka decided that it would be easier for them both if they worked on the same quests. [/indent] [i]"So what now Okami?"[/i] [b]"Okami? No, Ohka,"[/b] he firmly restated, wearing a slightly confused expression. He thought of a way to both answer her question and solve his problem. [b]"You should join my party, Kanami,"[/b] he instructed calmly. [i]"Sure thing Okami, how do I d-" [/i] [indent]She watched as another box appeared before her. Dazed for a second, Kanami stared at the screen blankly.[/indent] [i]"A-are you confessing to me Okami?"[/i] [b]"Wha-?! I just met you! There's no way that I-"[/b] He panicked, quite clearly bewildered that she somehow managed to misinterpret the party invintation in such a way. [b]"I mean, look, you're a- It's a Party Invite!"[/b] he struggled, remembering that she was a novice and probably didn't know what a party was. [b]"A group, a band of adventurers, we work together on the same quests, the same missions! We help each other out, that's it! It's- It isn't..."[/b] He exhaled angrily, trying to calm himself and focus on his original goal. [b]"Just, join. You join, I help you get better. Alright? It-"[/b] [i]"Okay!" [/i] [indent]Having gotten the response she sought, the Nobelle tapped the small [b]x[/b] indicating her acceptance to his proposal.[/indent] [i]"You promise to take care of me right Okami?"[/i] [b]"I said I'd help you get better, didn't I?"[/b] Even if he was a little less comfortable now after Kanami's stunt. [i]"Ohhhhh, Okami. You are so terribly nice. So where to?"[/i] [b]"We should first find a quest. That's the first step in most MMO games,"[/b] he explained, still wary of any more shenanigans she had in store. [i]"So how do these MMO games work, Okami-senpai?"[/i] [b]"That's... a difficult question,"[/b] Ohka confessed, folding his arms and looking up at the pale blue sky as he walked. After a moment of pondering her question, he decided to try answering, [b]"I guess, to start..."[/b] [indent]...and so Ohka spoke and Kanami listened, or at least they attempted to. More often than not, the man found the girl's attention stolen away by any sudden changes in atmosphere, be it a bee or villagers carting barrels. Anything that could catch her attention or distract her, did. First it was a flock of geese, then a group of school children... Ohka rested his hand in his face several times. With every instance that her attention drifted away from him, Ohka would strike her softly on the head and start over with whatever he was lecturing on. Though, unfortunately more often than not, he would forget where he was at and instead start on a new subject. The breeze followed the two, as if interested in the strange lesson, but more importantly, the even stranger chemistry the two shared. They were compliments formed through contradictions... Companions discovered through isolation. And so time passed for the Nobelle student and her Human teacher, before they finally found themselves standing on a cobblestone road before a hustling crowd. Merchants pushed through the streets, eager to sell their goods to the onslaught of adventurers. Men and women; young and old; players and nonplayers all erupted in a sea of exchanges, be it with words, goods, or gestures. It was here that adventurers took their first small step into the vastness of Kakophonia. It was here they had arrived at their destination, the threshold if you will, that bridged together fantasy and reality.[/hider] [hider=Part 3]Believing this to be a good time for his lessons to end, Ohka scanned the crowd in search for NPCs with quests. It was much easier said than done, however, seeing as how the NPCs acted so lively and fluidly that they could be easily mistaken for players. Upon spotting a suitable target the man reached for his new companion... only to discover that she disappeared from his side. Though he was able to see over most of the heads in the crowd, the sheer number of people made it a daunting task to find just one. If not for the floating nametag, it would've been a seemingly hopeless task. Chasing the floating letters as they danced from side to side, he discovered his novice party member was drifting aimlessly among the crowd, weaving within the flow of its current, performing to the beat of footsteps and voices. Then she stopped. Kanami stepped from the crowd and into a strange meta-physical bubble surrounding a player... another Nobelle girl, lonesome and faded in her cold stone surroundings. People drifted on either side of her, either too involved or busy to notice or even care, for the small figure. It was as if they made reasons, justifications, obstacles...anything that made her impossibly hard to approach. But not Kanami apparently... A small sigh escaped his lips as he weaved through the sea of people, following his party member's lead before finally escaping from the sea of nameless players. ...she seemed to have a knack for discovering those who were alone, waiting for someone or something. Kanami started to stretch out her hand before Ohka gently planted his on her shoulder. [/indent] [b]"Kanami, we shouldn't-"[/b] [i]"Nonsense. Do you enjoy chicken coops?" [/i] [indent]He grunted bitterly in response, but released her. The girl winked.[/indent] [i]"Don't be such a tsundere."[/i] [indent]Surprise touched his face, but it wasn't unpleasant. It was familiar... warm.[/indent] [b]"You sound like my sister."[/b] [i]"Maybe you could introduce us sometime."[/i] [b]"Ha. Never."[/b] [indent]...and with that Kanami gently tapped the girl's shoulder.[/indent][/hider]