Searching for what is lost (open)

[steinerman]

Loss: such a terrible, painful emotion. And not one Joe Nimble was accustomed to feeling, but he felt it now, like a dagger to the heart. He had entered this game world with the woman of his dreams, the woman he planned to marry and spend the rest of his life with, but then she had been savagely taken from him, and he couldn’t even remember how. The first thing he remembered of his time in the game world was waking in an alleyway, a sharp pain in the back of his head. He’d been contacted by his parents from the real world, who told him his love’s body was comatose, her mind trapped in the game. He’d been told that he should contact the in-game authorities and request their assistance since it was their game that, for all intents and purposes, had turned an otherwise healthy nineteen-year-old girl into a brain-dead body. But it appeared he had some sort of in-game amnesia, he couldn’t even remember what she looked like, let alone her gamer profile.

So Joe had traveled to the great Library in Minervum, searching for answers. His only clue: the golden locket around his neck, in which was a picture of a stunningly beautiful Asian girl, even though he had no memory of his time before the alley, he knew it to be a picture of the character his love used in-game. “And yet” he thought, “This isn’t enough to take to the authorities, a simple picture of her face will do almost nothing to single her out amongst the thousands of other Asian girls in-game.” So he had followed the only other clue he had: the small engraving of the letter “G” on the back of the locket. Which he assumed, and desperately prayed, was the insignia of a jewelry maker.

He had found himself standing outside the magnificent library of Minervum, its stately beauty seeming to glow in the afternoon sunlight. “Here goes nothing,” he'd thought as he had trotted up the large marble stairs to the entrance. he entered and was brought to a sudden halt by an Angel, who glanced pointedly at the small sign by the door that read, “no weapons allowed”. Joe was new to this game world, but he was quite positive that this Angel could beat him into a bloody pulp with barely any effort. So he bowed his head in respect, and carefully, so as not to startle the Angel with any sudden moves, un-strapped his armor and handed it to the waiting guard. He did the same with his long-handled knives, and then again with his numerous throwing knives. The Angel nodded in approval and handed Joe a small claim ticket, with which he would be able to retrieve his equipment once done in the Library.
“Have a pleasant stay,” the Angel said in a monotonous voice. Joe nodded, and tried not to stare at the magnificent creature, “I’ll try,” he answered politely.

Now wearing only his black woolen clothing, Joe walked to the front desk. A petite human female smiled up at him from where she sat, “may I help you?” she asked kindly.
Joe forced himself to smile, “yes, I’m trying to find a jewelry maker, but all I have is the insignia. I was wondering if you might keep records of how to fi—” he was cut off as she nodded her head vigorously, “of course sir,” her fingers tapped madly across a keyboard for a few precious seconds. She then looked up “Third floor, second bookcase from the west wall, you’ll find what you’re looking for there.” She pointed helpfully towards the stairwell. Joe bowed his head, “thank you” he said quietly, he then walked calmly over to the stairwell and started upwards. Once out of sight he resisted the urge to charge up the stairs and hurriedly search for the book. “hopefully this will be easy,” he thought. “Find the jeweler, show him the picture, get her game information from him and take it to the authorities.”

He reached the third floor five minutes later, he had turned and trotted over to the correct shelf. It took another five minutes to find the small, leather-bound book squished in-between a pair of books about gold mining. Joe opened the book and flipped hurriedly through the pages until he came to the end of the book, “that can’t be right” he thought, “The jewelry is made in the game, so they must have a record of what NPC makes it.”
He flipped through the book again, but to no avail. Joe frantically searched the bookcase, looking for any other books that could help, nothing. Then, in a near-panic state, he carefully searched the bookcase again; he crossed the aisle and searched another, and another. An assistant who passed by could give no aid, “if it’s made by someone in game, we should have a record of the jeweler’s insignia.” She had said in a kind voice, it hadn’t helped.
Exhausted and unsure of his next step, Joe had stumbled over to a chair in one of the reading areas and carefully sat. Shoulders hunched, hands clasped in prayer-like fashion, he sat there, a statue to the world.


(OOC, gah, sorry if this is a messed up post. I think I'm having trouble writing in past tense. If its wrong, just tell me)

[Ribitta]

OOC: Nope, looks great

Bare feet padded softly against the pale marble, searching for nothing in particular as they roamed freely through the library. The atmosphere was quiet as always in side the massive building of knowledge, but there was always an air of business from the players and NPCs that roamed that long hallways of bookcases in search for one thing or another so they could take off to someplace else. Laura's feet lifted off the ground in an effort she no longer even noticed, the feeling had become more natural to her than feeling her feet touch the ground when she walked.

Her body glided upward in a very slow fashion as she skimmed the titles of hundreds of books on the shelves, looking for something that tickled her fancy. For some reason it always seemed that the books on the top shelves, the ones no one noticed while just browsing, were always the best of the bundle. Their information was often new and exciting, and not just a restatement of an overtold story or a history lesson long already learned.

The idle murmur of the library wafted through like a familiar scent, not even bringing up thought anymore as it was simply a white noise that made the atmosphere more real. However, after a short while Laura noticed someone who was not only ignoring the books around him, but he also held no food, drink, or company. He seemed to be quite distracted from his surroundings completely, and this bothered Laura. She had dealt with depressions and anxieties before, and it bothered her to watch others go through it as well.

With a sigh though, she told herself to mind her own business, and her browsing continued. Every time she reached the end of an aisle her gaze fell back on him, the statue that seemed to blend in with the other busts on the same level of immobility. Finally, she took the initiative and moved toward him. He was a considerable bit older than her, no doubt he was no longer a child. However, she still felt obligated to speak with him if he was willing.

Her figure landed down lightly in a chair next to him, her legs drawing up as her arms bound them to her chest. Silently brushing aside her flowing hair, she spoke softly to him, "What perplexes you so that you can find no solace in the books or people that ensconce you?"

[steinerman]

Joe felt the tremor as someone sat in the chair next to his; he glanced up and saw a young girl sitting serenely next to him. He realized that she had asked a question of him, but he had been too deep in his own thoughts to answer. He played back the question in his mind, “what could I tell her?” he thought,
“That the woman I plan to marry in the real world is missing in the game while her body sits like a vegetable on a couch somewhere?
That I can’t remember her gamer profile or even what she looked like in this game world? What do I tell this young soul?”
His thoughts continued in that vein for a few seconds, then he realized he was being rude; he straightened and attempted to answer the question. “I came into the game with someone, someone very important to me. But something happened, and now she’s missing”. Joe realized his voice was choking with emotion, anger and fear and worry.
He’d been told the game world was perfectly safe, but he had heard stories of people hurt from their time in the game. These stories rushed back to him now, he closed his eyes and prayed that his love was unhurt.
“I can’t seem to remember what happened to her,” he said quietly, “so I came here looking for answers. Hoping to find something that could point me in the right direction, that could help me find her. But all I found was a dead end.” Joe clenched his fist in anger, “and now I don’t know what I should do, I’m lost in a strange, rather confusing land,” he finished with a half-smile. He suddenly felt horrible for dumping his problems on the kind girl who had taken a moment to ask what bothered him so. He spoke again, “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to trouble you with my problems.”

[Ribitta]

Watching him still, Laura listened intently as he spoke of an issue he apparently did not wish to bother her with. But did he wish to leave her out of the loop for her sake? Or his own. She stared carefully at his expression, trying to read and evaluate it. What she had thought was depression was moreso despair or loss. After a short moment she decided that she wouldn't just leave it alone if she could help it. "You have nothing to apologize for," she said slowly, still focusing on him. "This world is large indeed, and there are a lot of places that a person could easily fall into that would be ruined... or worse."

She took a pause, the air of uncertainty now vanishing from around them, "A missing individual... I do not think that a library would have something on a simple individual, unless they were involved with something large like the Beta." Another pause, and Laura glanced to the books that had been withdrawn. "A jewler hmm? The finest craftsmen are in Acera and a few legendary ones beyond the Great Wall. However, a missing person, if they were kidnapped or something of the sort, would be in Rogueport. If this person died though, they might be still trapped in the Netherworld. Choices must be made, paths must be set, but I will help you find this person. My name is Laura, some people call me Skygirl, what might I call you?"

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[steinerman]

Joe stared into the distance, this young girl who knew nothing of him was offering to help him find his missing love. Nearly all of him screamed to get up and walk away, "Laura is a good person, you shouldn't have spoken to her, these are your problems." he thought sadly. But then a small voice in his head, so small he could barely even hear it, spoke. "This is a strange world and this girl has offered to help, there should be no real danger, it's a game, let her help if she will." Joe focused on the girl, "Laura, a beautiful name. You may call me Joe."
A rare smile crossed his lips, seeming to brighten the room for a moment. It disappeared as he realized the difficulty of the task ahead, "if the woman I'm looking for were kidnapped, you say she'd be taken to Rogueport? I remember waking in an alley with a pain in the back of my head, so I assume someone hit me. Which probably means she was taken against her will. Rogueport sounds like a good place to start." He stared carefully at her, his emerald eyes searching, "That is, if you still want to help."

[Ribitta]

Laura chuckled softly at his last quetion, offering her one final chance to get out of the thing she herself had brought up. "Rogueport is exactly as it sounds, some say worse. It's infested with drugs and street crime, but many powerful individuals can be found beneath the plethora of petty criminals and villains. It may be wise to find another person... but then again, if we wish to go we should wait for the S.S. Calmwaters as it would probably be the quickest route. I believe it's even ported nearby and heading to Cher Plek.(South America) We should be able to hitch a ride, as I recall tickets are relatively cheap considering the size of the boat, so there should be no problem in boarding. That ship is a great place to hook up with people or find a new travel partner."

Laura's eyes scathed over this individual again, Joe as he called himself. There was something about him that she found intrigueing, not in a romantic way, but in a way that he was the type of person more people needed to be like. Calm, composed, intelligent, and polite... Laura wished to find his wife so this man could return to his previous happiness. "I will help you find this woman, Joe. I live in this game, my body in the real world no longer functions properly. I have been looking for a proper adventure for quite some time, so it may as well be a noble one, y'know?"

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[steinerman]

Joe thought about what she had said, that she was willing to go on this quest with him. He stood slowly and turned to face her, "The S.S. Calmwater eh? We best be going then, I believe it is leaving within a day or so." Joe felt like a heavy weight had been lifted from his shoulders. This girl, Laura, seemed to spread cheerfulness where-ever she was. He bowed deeply, his emerald eyes locked on hers. "Thank you Laura, for showing compassion to one who was lost." He then straightened and began walking towards the stairs, he'd need to retrieve his gear before they set out.
Rogueport was dangerous she'd said, but though he knew very little of his character in game, (his amnesia seemed to fog the area of his memory when he had created this character) he knew he could defend himself from almost anything they were likely to find in Rogueport. He glanced over his shoulder, "ready?" he questioned quietly.

[Rising Dragon]

People, player and NPC alike, milling about the pavilion in front of the Grand Library masked the telltale sound of air collapsing and the burst of dark matter that announced a Space-Shift occurring. No one really paid the Space-Shifter any mind as he stepped away from his appearance in a nonchalant manner, his tanned hands linked together behind his head as he walked towards the Grand Library. His weapon, a simple katana held in a red scabbard, made soft clinks as it shifted in the scabbard with each step he took, along with the even fainter sounds of cloth rubbing against cloth.

Shifter let his hands go and ran one of his hands through his white and brown hair as he neared the doors to the expansive building, then pushed open the doors, and sighed as the air conditioning struck him, even going through the thick coat he was wearing, making him shiver slightly as he closed the doors behind him. "Now, where in the world is Laura at in here?" he murmured to himself, looking around. The search function placed the registered character name of "Skygirl318" as being located in Minervum's Grand Library--it was a shame that the search function limited itself to regions and buildings and not specific rooms or coordinates. It'd make searching for people a lot easier, but where's the fun in that? Searching for her would be a bit of a pain, too, as Space-Shifting inside of the Grand Library tended to irritate the librarians and caretakers. And when the librarians were made up of Angels, well, things could get dicey.

[Ribitta]

OOC: I actually do mind if you post in this thread, your character doesn't fit and we're nearly done. Also, Steinerman, sincerest apologies on the wait.

"Of course," Laura responded with vigor, happy that she could finally get out of the continent that she'd been on for at least a month of her life. She was intrigued by this character and saddened by his loss, but she wasn't entirely sure that the two of them would stand a great chance against the thugs and mobs in rogueport. A teenage girl walking the streets was a nice target for the scum of that city, and it made her slightly nervous. Perhaps it would be best if another person for their party could be located. Nevertheless, she straightened herself to her full height that was not all that impressive to begin with and smiled her warm inviting smile once more.

"We'd best move quickly, the boat fills up fast sometimes," Laura began smooth walk away from the chairs, beckoning for Joe to follow her as she made her way toward the grand staircase of the library. If you have anything that you need to take care of in advance for this trip then by all means go and I'll meet you on the ship, otherwise though we can just go straight there."

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[Rising Dragon]

"There you are!" Shifter exclaimed as he finally caught sight of his game-imprisoned friend at the top of of the stairs, which he was climbing. He made his way over to Laura and her new friend. "I've been looking for you."

He spared a glance at the new guy. "New friend of yours?" he asked as he interlaced his fingers behind his head and shifted his weight onto his back leg.

[Sir Lighter of Elsewhere]

(OOC: I'd like to say sorry, and I wanted to move Sturm. Good Bye)

[steinerman]

(OOC: Sorry all, been having computer troubles and haven't been able to check here.)

Joe stared at the strangely dressed newcomer in wonder. Then realized he was being rude and bowed slowly, then straightened and extended his hand. “I’m Joe Nimble” He said politely, while his eyes searched the newcomer for any signs of danger. He had noticed that Laura seemed to be slightly jittery. “Perhaps she is frightened of Rougeport?” He thought to himself, “maybe this newcomer will help”. Joe felt lost in this world, and Laura appeared to want to help him. But he knew he could never forgive himself if he took her somewhere she didn’t wish to go. He spoke into the stillness, “I take it you two know each other?”

[Rising Dragon]

"Pleasure," Shifter greeted, taking Joe's hand and shaking it. "I'm Justin Bailey. People call me Shifter."

Shifter relinquished the hand and slipped his hands into the pockets of his pale green coat, looking back and forth between the new guy and Laura. "Yeah, we're old friends in Ymaggion," he said, shrugging. "So, I know we're always stuck here in Allondell, Laura, but I really have to ask... why are we talking about Rogueport, of all places?"

[Ribitta]

OOC: Back from the dead... err vacation

Laura's voice dropped to a more serious tone, but it still maintained a level of friendliness as she spoke to Shifter, "We're traveling to Rogueport to help this fellow find someone he knows to be lost. Our best assumptions is that mob violence or something of the sort in the game took her, and where best to start than in the biggest scum-hole in the game?" Shifting her weight to one leg, Laura stared serenely at Shifter, happy to see him here as he was one of her few good friends in this game. After a moment she added, "You wouldn't happen to be willing to come with us, would you? It's a dangerous area, and the larger group you travel in would help more for the safety of the group... Besides, we're taking the S.S. Calmwaters down there, and that's always fun, right? Laura's voice had lifted once more at the last few words, elated slightly by the concept of traveling on the ship amongst friends.

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[Rising Dragon]

"Well yeah, but, uh, Sky? The CalmWaters doesn't go to Rogueport. There's not a big enough port there, and besides," Shifter explained. "The crew on the CalmWaters knows to stay the heck away from that place. We'll need to find another boat once we get off the CalmWaters."