eternal white [o]

The forest wasn't exactly where Junko had intended to go, but, well, it seemed to be a relatively safe path, and she needed to get out of the town, at least for a little while. The panic and distress of others tugged at her heartstrings a little too much, and, while she could feel for them, she needed to get her own head straight before being of any real help. Thus, she had wandered north, and was now somewhat regretting it. She didn't have any cold-weather equipment - or any equipment really - and she had never been the best at cold. She breathed into her palms, and rubbed them together, working some warmth into them.

Still, despite everything, she had to marvel at the world. The crazy situation was one thing, and it was frightening and worrying, and yet... it was amazing that technology had come this far, even for someone as young as she. The scenery was real, maybe even super-real, and none of her senses picked up on anything out of place. No jagged lines, no clipping textures. Well, if they were going to be stuck in here, it might as well be pleasant to look at.

The walk had done wonders to get her away from the crowds, and the crisp air did wonders for clearing one's head. Now she was out near a wintry forest, without anything in the way of a plan. She inhaled to sigh, but stopped herself short as she caught sight of a another person out here with her. A crowd was impossible, right now, but one other person? She could manage that. She didn't look Japanese but Junko seemed to be able to understand other passersby well enough, so the translation engine must be pretty solid.

"Hello," It was said politely, as Junko approached from the side, inclining her head in a short bow. She gripped the hem of her shirt lightly, fighting the urge to turn her face aside or tug at her hair. Some habits just absolutely refused to die. Despite that nervousness, her smile, though small, was warm and genuine. "Would you mind if I sat with you?"

The snow was cold to sit on, and not the most comfortable, but it was tolerable.
"Aubade," Tsubakuro tested the name, to both fix it in her memory, and to ensure she hadn't misheard or misunderstood. "It is a pleasure to meet you. You can call me Tsubakuro." No hand was offered, Junko instead dipping her head again. For her part, the handle was something she was already fairly used to going by, with precious few friends she had these days knowing her as anything but that name. "Today, I am..." The smile faltered for a moment, and her expression grew distant, gaze moving out into the middle distance. "To be honest, I am still getting used to this." What 'this' was didn't need to be explained, and it covered a lot.

While it was true that she was still adjusting, things would be a lot better once other people had settled, and there wasn't such an air of confusion and panic.She paused, and looked back to Aubade, smile reestablished, if somewhat forced. "I've had worse days, and I still have my health. So I shouldn't complain." Hopefully that would quell any perception of weakness. She didn't need strangers worrying about her.

"If you wouldn't mind sharing, I'd be very grateful." Tsubakuro's tone was polite, bordering on deferential. She couldn't say for certain, but she was reasonably sure that Aubade was her elder. Then again, she knew enough about foreign cultures to know that wasn't so important everywhere else.

The option Aubade chose, to basically ignore the drama and carry on a normal conversation was one Tsubakuro could be grateful for. She took an offered sandwich, murmuring a quiet thanks, taking a few small bites as Aubade spoke.
"We've only just started, so it makes sense that none of us really know what we're doing yet." Apart from some simple clothing, they didn't really have much in the way of equipment. There were a few MMO-like aspects, like the monsters, the quests, inventories, all that, but, thus far, it almost felt as though they had been shoved into an alternate life, rather than into a game. Maybe that was a good thing, maybe not. In time, answers would be found, and people would find a way to move forward. Gamers were an eclectic bunch, but they could also be very skilled at finding out every secret a game had to offer, even without data-mining tools.

"I do want to pick up a few combat skills, but you are right. Learning how to cook seems to be a very good idea. Especially since it looks like we'll be stuck in here for a while." If it was a glitch or easily fixed problem, they'd be long ejected from the game's server. Her thoughts briefly returned to the real world, and Tsubakuro felt a little sick. She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. Wanting to escape those thoughts was a good part of the reason for her wanting a reprieve.

"It seems the makers of the game wanted this to be as much like a real place as possible." Tsubakuro didn't believe that the developers intended the players to become trapped. She had enough faith in people to believe someone in the team would've blown the whistle. But, as that ominous message suggested, it did seem that someone was behind it. It was chilling, and another thing Tsubakuro didn't want to dwell on at the moment. She smiled, pushing away some of those darker thoughts. "Maybe a few people would have tried to live their lives here, even if they didn't get trapped." It was a true enough observation, but her tone made it clear that it was an attempt to be a lighthearted observation.

"It's been a while since I've been to a festival. I used to go to them all the time as a kid." With the move to Tokyo, and everything else, it was something that had fallen to the wayside. She smiled again, making eye contact with Aubade. "We may be trapped here, for now, but we can try to make the most of it, right?"

Tsubakuro nodded her assent to Aubade's plan, sipping at the drink gratefully. She certainly seemed to be a generous person, and welcoming of others, so Tsubakuro had nothing but a positive image of her thus far. Time would tell, but everyone needed friends, especially in times like these. There was no sense in being too picky.
"It would be nice to have more than numbers on our side. But, when the time comes, I will join you." Surely it wouldn't be that hard to secure a weapon of some sort. The idea of going dungeon delving with nothing but punches, kicks, and mob strategy was hardly appealing. It wasn't as though they could stay in the starting town forever, so they needed to move forward at some point.

Tsubakuro took another sip of the drink, thoughtful. "It could also have a clue as to how that rock is meant to be moved. If we are supposed to beat the game, we'll have to be able to leave the starting region at some point." Tsubakuro shifted her gaze back out to the wintry woodland. "That, and I'd like to see more of this world." It was beautiful. Even if it was a prison, it was beautiful.

"Aubade, if you don't mind me asking, have you played many other MMOs?" She wasn't trying to separate the noobs from the rest, so to speak, but, rather, it was a question of general curiosity.