Kaizyr

"As long as it's the good kind of trouble, yeah?" Lyra hopped to her feet, wincing a bit as she still hadn't fully recovered from today's odd jobs. She wiped her mouth with her dirty sleeve, which served more to stain her sleeve than to clean her face, and placed her hands on her hips. "So! Where we goin', Honi Littleone?"

Lyra chewed on the last morsel of her kebab just as she chewed on her thoughts regarding Honi's quest. As she swallows that last bit, a simply epiphany hits her. She flashes a bright grin at Honi. "Looks like your bro's gettin' his wish for ya. Leavin' home and endin' up across the sea? On a quest for a lost sibling?" She booped him on the nose, her expression fading into minor smug territory. "You's already at the start of your own adventure."

Some tomato juice dribbled down her chin as Lyra chewed thoughtfully. "Carteneau? Hmm, that name sounds familiar..." She thought a short while longer. Then, she scowled in remembrance, swallowing her mouthful. "Ah yeah, I remember now. And it was five years ago. The Flames rallied and made a big fuss about goin' to battle around there." Lyra took an annoyed bite out of a fish piece, spitting out a fishbone off to the side. "Next thing we knew, hundreds of damn refugees came pourin' into Ul'dah and the surroundin' area, settin' up camps outside the city when the walls overflowed. Kept babblin' about this 'Carteneau' place like the Twelve wreaked vengeance on them."

"Well, can't have ya doin' that." Lyra takes her meal and beckons for Honi to follow her. "C'mon! Let's hang by the docks; they's nearby here." =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Lyra sank her teeth into the kebab. She wasn't all that particular about food, but the higher quality of the fish and freshness of the vegetables definitely not lost to her as she wolfed multiple pieces down at a time. With the way she ate, one might have even mistaken her for a beast man or uncouth savage--which wasn't too far from the truth. "So," she said, in between mouthfuls, "this brother-a yours. He wrote ya home, yeah? Until five years ago? What's his last letter say?"

In her fit of laughter, Lyra suddenly scooped Honi up and hugged (rather, huggled) him tightly. "You's so precious, is what ya are!" If Honi remembered anything about Lyra when they first met on that rainy day in Gridania, he would see a clear difference in her demeanor between today and back then. Where she had hauled crates with stiff, almost hesitant poise, she now seemed relaxed. Unselfconscious. Perhaps more in her element. Lyra released the poor Keeper from her bear hug-like grasp, her grin wide and bright, in contrast to the soot-covered face against her tan skin.

Seeing Honi's face light up like a little kid's (or kitten's), Lyra couldn't help but burst out laughing. The "stagger a bit while holding your sides" kind of laughing. It left the food merchant a little confused. "Uh... Right then," the merchant said, eying Lyra and not really sure how to react. Since the red bandana girl was a little occupied trying to recover from a bout of comedy, he turned to Honi. "What'll it be, sir? As you can see, I've got everything from fruits to fish. Our meat shipment is a little late this cycle, however."

"Ha! My 'turf', he says," Lyra laughed. "I ain't been here much longer than you, friend--" "WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT WASN'T SHIPPED?!" the Roegadyn in front of them bellowed, suddenly throwing his hands up in the air. "I just checked the ledgers this morning! You have to have them by now!" The food merchant shrank away from him, holding his hands up defensively. "I-I'm sorry, sir, but we just--just don't have them yet. Our meat supplier just hasn't made it up here. Maybe his crate is still by the docks...?" "BAH!" The Roegadyn stormed off, making no more fuss about it. Lyra watched as he left with idle interest. Unsatisfied customers were commonplace back in Ul'dah, so she discounted his reaction as not worth noting and stepped up to her turn with the merchant. From Honi's perspective, there was plenty of food at this merchant's stall. Fish of all kinds, some fresh fruit hanging by the bundles, crusty-looking loaves of bread. As the Roegadyn before them lamented, however, there appeared to be no meat.

This sounds like an awesome idea! Would you be open to letting random outsiders hang about the place (if we are only on Free Trial accounts)?

Lyra looked at his outstretched hand with regard for a moment, then decided to take it. "Aye. I reckon we can head to the market in Hawker's Alley, sit by the docks near the Fisherman's Guild afterwards while we mull over how to find yer bro, yeah?" She hoisted herself to her feet... though with the swift motion in which she did so, her quads cramped for a very brief moment. "Gah!" =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= The Hawker's Alley market was abuzz with Limsa's nightlife. Locals were picking out their ingredients for dinner, and adventurers and seafarers alike were haggling with the armor and weapon vendors for the best deals they could get. A few street performers had set aside space for their routines, of which many folk of wholesome and less-than-savory ilk crowded around to watch. Lyra fell in line behind a stocky male Roegadyn, who was haggling with the food vendor. She turned to Honi. "Whatcha feeling?"

"Charismatic. A real charmer and storyteller..." Lyra tapped her chin thoughtfully, musing over what Honi divulged about his brother. Then, she shook her head and grunted. "Nah. That ain't the Miqo'te that tried to make a wench outta me." She let out a short laugh. "Dunno what made me think it could've been. Guess I kinda hoped it'd be that easy for you to find him." As she sat back again, arms crossed behind her head, she threw a glance at Honi. "Ya tried goin' to the Adventurer's Guild here? Reckon they might have heard somethin'--especially if yer bro might've become an adventurer himself, ya know? I, uh..." She cleared her throat, shifting uncomfortably. "I hear they keep a register of all them adventurers too."

So this was the ambition that brought the Keeper all the way out to La Noscea. Some chase their dreams; others chase something much more tangible, it seems. "Yer brother, huh..." Lyra gazed up at the stars thoughtfully. "What's he like? Why'd he go missin' in the first place?"

She scoffed at the Keeper's stalker quip. "Ha! Well, ain't I just the luckiest girl ever." Lyra sat back against the fountain, crossing her arms behind her head as she did so. "Least you don't seem like a comedian tryna get yourself wenched." She looked over at Honi, amused by his effort. "Don't you worry none. Comedy's tricky. Ya either feel the delivery or ya don't. Best way to learn is to try, if you ask me." She shrugged. "So, whatcha got for business out here, any road?"

Lyra sighed, letting down her guard a little more and relaxing her fists into open hands. She placed her hands on her hips and looked at Honi with some regard. "You's an honest kid, ain't ya," she ascertained, a touch of amusement in her tone. She beckoned him over, sitting down and inviting him to sit with her. "You'd be surprised how many would-be comedians are out here. Seems like everywhere you go, there's..." She shook her head. "Nah, forget it. What brings ya to Limsa? Can't just be to find me, yeah?"

Lyra momentarily stiffened at the sound of the approaching voice. Although internally alarmed and on edge--old habits from her old life--she maintained her countenance and turned casually to see who her visitor was. As Honi approached her against the dim lighting of the Yard, she could only initially determine his silhouette, ears, and yellow cat-eyes. Although aching, she hoisted herself to her feet and balled her hand into a fist, ready for a confrontation. "I already told ya once, cat-ears, I ain't interested in being your 'Drowning Wench', and I damn sure ain't interested in--" As the nearby lamplight shone on Honi's face, his warpaint was, indeed, an easily identifiable trait to the tensed Hyur. She relaxed slightly at the sight of him but remained mostly wary. "Hey, ain't ya the kid from Gridania a couple of moons back?"

Limsa Lominsa. When Lyra had landed in the island city-state's capital, it was a a stormy night. "Landed" was a generous term. A more fitting and accurate account was as follows: Lyra quickly stowed herself in a large, open crate of animal skins and fleece upon arrival. Upon landing, the Ul'dahn merchant and the port officer found themselves in a heated argument about what tax was appropriate (the merchant insisted her goods were exempt, and the officer insisted there was no such thing), giving Lyra a not-so-small window of opportunity to slip out of the crate. Under the cover of rain, the crash of thunder, she vanished and became part of the general populous of the city. It had been near two moons since that night. Tonight, however, was clear and calm. Lyra, sore from an odd-job stint earlier in the day that required her to quite literally sprint around the city to deliver messages, sat by the fountain in the Anchor Yard. She gazed up at the starlit canopy and immediately felt calm. She grinned to herself. "Nothing beats this view."

I used to do this too and I TOTALLY support your venture to do it on FFXIV! Like Caspar suggests, definitely do a bit of leveling along the Main Story Quests (MSQs) so that you have access to the three major cities. The MSQs are a quest chain so you can't skip any of them, and the one to travel among the 3 capitals requires you to be level 15. That said, you can raise every job to level 35 on one character while you're playing the Free Trial version. You may have to improvise your bartending immersion, though. As far as I'm aware, FFXIV's gameplay doesn't let you behind the major bar counters Best of luck! Let us know where you decide to open shop

Welcome welcome, blight-spelled-upside-down! If you're looking for ways to stay interested in FFXIV, RPing is definitely the thing to do (if I do say so myself *strikes a pose*). But in all seriousness, creating stories that revolve around the characters you've made in-game have a way of making you feel more attached to them. And no worries; it's a bit stressful walking into a new community, but most of us are nerds in some way, shape or form, so you'll quickly find there's not much to be anxious about XD Or maybe I'm the only nerd here, but don't sweat the details >.> <.< Not sure if you've got any alts on Mateus, but if you do, hit me up

She grimaced. As much as she idn't like the sound of her name being associated with Ul'dah, Lyra couldn't deny that the money-grubbing city was part of her. Perhaps she would carry it with her wherever she went. If so, that was just something she would have to come to terms with one day. She took the last crate off Honi's hands and loaded into the wagon, loosening up her shoulders afterwards. "That's all of them." When Honi offered her a meal, she blinked at him for a moment. Then she laughed and closed the gap a bit more between them, placing a hand on Honi's head and ruffling his hair. "All right, kiddo. Tell ya what: you come find me again, and then we'll talk about lunch or dinner, yeah?" She didn't have time to wait for his response. The driver called out his last-call warning, and Lyra hopped into the wagon. As they started to pull away, she waved and called back to Honi, "Hey kid! If you's gonna get into trouble again, at least make sure it's the good kind, yeah?!"

"You can chalk it up to me feeling generous this time, I guess," the Hyur replied, in the same flat tone she'd been using this whole time. Lyra wrapped her bandana around her tangle of long, dark hair. Against her tan skin and the muted colors of her ragged clothes, that bandana was the second brightest feature on her person--the first being her bright, green eyes which almost seemed to glow against the light from a nearby lantern. Perhaps the wry smile she offered to Honi added to that effect. She patted a fist twice against her collar, gesturing to herself. "Ul'dah. Not that you'll find me there if ya come looking anytime soon." Just then a handful of skinny, malnourished-looking male Hyur helpers approached the caravan. They each carried a crate, groaning beneath the weight of their loads. Behind them, a Lalafellian man waddled along, barking orders. "Hurry up! If we don't make it to Vesper Bay before the next moon, I'm docking all of your pays!" He gestured impatiently to Lyra. "You! Halflander! What're you moseying about for?! Help me hurry them along or your pay will be docked and you'll pay the shipper's late delivery fee!" Lyra rolled her eyes, turning to the nearest helper and taking the crate off his hands. The helper was visibly relieved but made no motion to thank Lyra, instead moving along right into a caravan wagon to take a seat. Lyra loaded the crate into the nearest wagon, dusted her fingerless gloves off and turned back to Honi. "If it fancies ya to ever find me again, try Limsa Lominsa," she said, taking another crate off of another thankless helper's hands and loading it into the wagon. "If I ain't drowned on the way there, I reckon I'll end up there next."

Hey there, Tadir! Sorry I'm not one of your buddies from way back when; I just started playing, in fact. Buuuuut from what I've learned so far, Balmung is the main RP server (but is overpopulated and is perpetually closed until maybe the release of Shadowbringers). Meanwhile, Mateus is what one of my friends calls "Balmung 2.0"--as it has a pretty large and noticeable RP presence. According to the SE server updates, Mateus is still considered a "standard world", but it gets temporarily locked for new character-creation from time to time. Best to check every three hours. I hear that Gilgamesh used to be pretty big on RP, but is less so now, and that there's a small, close-knit RP community on Coeurl. As for the EU servers, I hear Omega is the unofficial RP one. Hope this helps! If you end up making a toon on Mateus, look me up I'm a pretty heavy RPer myself.

Lyra shrugged. "First time, actually. Who knows if I'll come back?" She held out her hand. "Now, I know you's growing kind of fond of that bandana on your head, but I'm gonna need it back. Kinda special to me, ya know. Besides, you can handle whatever trouble them stickler guards throw at ya at this point, yeah?"

Lyra followed along with Honi as he pulled at the crate. "Oh, that's what ya said." She then takes the lead and guides them towards the caravan, which is now pretty close. As they reach it, Lyra tugs the crate away from Honi and sets it into the wagon. Heaving a big sigh and stretching a bit, she grabs a handful of her long, messy hair and wrings the ends as if they were a soaked rag. She cracks a grin at the Mi'qote. "Call me Lyra. Ya gonna be staying here in Gridania a while longer? As soon as the merchant comes back, we're hitting the road."

Lyra carefully guided them towards the caravan, which was waiting by the Blue Badger Gate. They were passing Carline's Canopy, where a handful of adventurers were mingling about on the veranda and keeping out of the rain. One was talking to the umbrella woman, who still seemed rather agitated and tried to insist that the adventurer do something about the "vile, coeurl-earred rough handler"... though unlike the guards, the adventurer only seemed mildly amused by the woman's temper tantrum. Against the sound of rain, Lyra misheard him. " 'Only' what now?" But before there was time for a correction, another adventurer (Hyur midlander, female, blonde and blue-eyed) caught sight of Honi and Lyra, approaching them and getting in their way. "Hey, you two wouldn't happen to have seen some kind of thievery happening today, would you?" "Where I'm from, thievery's practically a daily occurrence," Lyra said tersely, channeling her inner Ul'dahn. "Not even worth taking note no more, unless it's from me of course." The adventurer glanced at Honi. Whether she did so in suspicion or just nonchalance was up to Honi's level of paranoia.

Holla, fellow newbie! I'm on the same boat as you and Huck :D (just between you and me though, I think Huck's the friendlier guy :P) If you're nervous about RPing on an MMO, thinking it's different from every other type of writing/RPing you've done so far, don't sweat it. There's not much of a difference at all really :) If you want to RP sometime, hit me up in-game or shoot me a message here in the forums, yeah?

The guards raced by without a second glance at the two crate-holders. Under the cover of rain, the guards' visibility must not have been all that great. Some guards they were. Lyra glanced ambivalently at them as they passed by, then craned her neck around the crate to see Honi's big golden eyes giving her the kitty look. She didn't quite know whether she should be alarmed by the fact that this Mi'qote was being chased, or amused by the potential mess that she was inadvertently dragged into. "Hold this crate for me for a sec, yeah?" Assuming that Honi does so, Lyra unwraps the red bandana from around her head. She walks over and wraps it around Honi's head, flattening his ears as much as she can before tying it tightly. The bandana covers Honi's eyes for the most part, but he can still see to a capacity similar to that of someone wearing a hood pulled far over their head. "Follow my lead and help me get this crate back to my caravan." She had fashioned Honi's makeshift disguise just in time. A couple more guards were hurrying past them.