Scene #1087:

Owner	Pose
Ryu	And so Ryu is here doing something he has gotten into the habit of since he managed to score a mentor for sword training. He is, in fact, doing personal lessons in the Ring to sharpen his skills. So he has a sleeveless shirt that shows off the scars that mark his arms, and he has no shoes on. Bonebreaker is held in one hand while he makes his vicious chops at... Moving, faceless targets. He's trying to get a high score on a simulation involving fighting zombies, but they come in the form of wireframes that shatter on impact. Although the force at which they explode could be attributed to how hard he's swinging that monster of a sword. This is a man who is very strong, and yet not refined in the slightest. Each step and each swing is a raw movement, a sloppy attempt to hit a point that isn't properly calculated or anticipated. He is not going to get any high score on this simulation anytime soon. Not that he's ineffective, but he is not at the level of the best sword-wielding Elites out there.
Auron	Learning to use his 'Wander' mode outside of Alfheim Online is something that Auron has not quite mastered yet. It doesn't help that he's a strength fighter and the Cait Sith race are speedy, 'light' ones. The dichotomy between his real-world self and his digital self is still pretty big, even with the practice he's had. But ALO only gives him so much training. Using his Wander mode outside the game is something he's only done very rarely. He'd come to the ring to do that, but had found Ryu training here. Instead of bothering him, Auron decided he would watch from a high-up place. He likes the form more than he wants to admit. Even if he can't feel things properly like this, it's enabled him to do something he hasn't been able to do since his confrontation with Yunalesca more than ten years ago. Namely, see through both his eyes! After all, it wasn't the sight portions of his brain that were damaged. Just his eye. The AmuSphere transmits directly to his brain, after all. So, perched up on something that puts him out of Ryu's way is a lean but muscular humanoid form, with a thick mane of silver hair and... cat ears? Sure looks like it. Though there's no fur on his face, or what of the rest of his body can be seen. He wears something like a monk's robe -- a white tunic worn off one arm, sleeveless gray vest, loose gray pants, and wrapped leggings much like a monk. He seems to have human feet, though, and wears shoes.
Ryu	Toward the end of the simulation, Ryu tires himself out and gets overwhelmed. At first, he starts slowing down, and heaving the weapon around a little more sluggishly. Then he outright misses a swing, and the numbers of his targets can no longer be trimmed if he's not cutting them down. And so he's dogpiled by the simulated creatures... and the simulation ends, with him sitting there on the floor, his face tense with exhaustion, a frown hidden partially behind blue bangs drooping thanks to his tilted head. Ryu looks up and stares up at Auron. His brow knits but his frown fades. He seems confused about this new figure's presence here. "Hey," he tries up at the perching cat person.
Auron	"Hello," Auron greets, those cat-ears swiveling forward attentively. "I didn't want to interrupt you." His voice is different like this than it is on the radio (not that he talks on the radio much anyway); it's a little higher, about a middle-range tenor. Now, the Ring of Philosophy is a big place. If Auron were to just jump down from his place, he'd probably take enough fall damage to force a respawn. But that's okay, he has another way to fix this. He wasn't able to complete the Alf quest, so he doesn't have unlimited flight. But he does have wings. So as he steps off his perch, he engages them. A symbol appears on his back, probably unseen, and the wispy, yellow wings catch him, slowing his descent. Once he lands, they disappear again. "Are you all right?" he inquires. Sure, it's just a simulation, but pain is also very real, even if not paired with injury.
Ryu	Ryu's brow relaxes as he receives a response. He blinks once up at the cat-eared fellow up there... and widens his eyes as the figure leaps down. When wings form, that's when quite abrupt confusion washes over Ryu's face. He stands up and gives a quizzical, uncertain look at Auron. "Y-yeah," he replies, rolling one of his shoulders, "It's just a small training exercise. I only lose if I can't keep up with the flow of targets. Pain doesn't really factor into it." He sheathes Bonebreaker, so he can talk more easily. He seems awkward or confused while he speaks, though, just not comfortable with ordinary conversation for some reason. "You certainly aren't a Woren," he remarks, "My name is Ryan. Who're you?"
Auron	Whether it's respect or similar kind of awkwardness, the cat-eared man seems comfortable with Ryu's silence, and unwilling to break it for frivolous reasons. He gives a nod as Ryu notes that he's all right, but doesn't comment on it further than that. The mention of a 'Woren' gets a tilt of his head, and one of his ears swivels to the side briefly. "Woren? I'm afraid I haven't heard that name before." And asked his name? "My name is Auron," he offers. "Good to meet you."