<div class="floatright">(https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/79/83/6f/79836f4a37fcc7b8351d9b9e8a6835e1.jpg)</div>The invitation had come out of nowhere, or nearly so.  Daria had just been getting the hang of how things works in uni - a big change from school, that was for sure.  It was exciting, and a little scary, and she wasn't absolutely sure she was ready for everything.  It didn't help that she was living away from home for the first time, and everything seemed harder when you had to do it all yourself.  The first couple of weeks had been a bit tough - sometimes frantic - but now she was really starting to think she had a handle on the basics.  She knew where the laundry was, she'd figured out the hours of the nearest cafeteria, and she'd purchased or borrowed all the little things she and her mother had forgotten when she moved in to res.  Her single room was cramped - smaller than her bedroom back home - but she was adjusting.  At least she had a corner, so it was pretty quiet.<br/><br/>So everything was on track, she was getting into a routine, she was caught up on the first few assignments - all easy so far - and she was even holding to her schedule for studying.  This year was going to be a good one... a new start, in a new place, with new classmates.  Maybe even new friends, although that hadn't quite clicked yet.  But like her mother had said: "Just do your best, study hard, and friends will come... the<em>right kind</em>of friends."<br/><br/>And there she had been, scooping her sketchpad into her bag to go to next class, when someone spoke to her.  At first she didn't realize he was talking to her at all - a quiet voice behind her, talking about roleplaying.  She finished packing up, turned - and there he was, looking at her expectantly.  "John" or something - she'd seen him in class before, but hadn't given him much thought.  Now she cocked her head, trying to play back whatever he'd just said when she wasn't paying attention.<br/><br/>"Sorry... what?  I mean... what's that?"<br/><br/>The poor guy was practically stumbling all over himself as he mumbled out something... it was a game, with dice, and players play-acting.  OK, she'd heard of something like that, but... she opened her mouth to ask more, but he was already backing away, spouting a time and place, and then he spun and scurried out, leaving her standing alone, clutching her pack.  It seemed a little underwhelming.  But she<em>had</em>been asked out to something!  She wasn't too sure about this guy... though apparently there'd be others at the game, too, from what she could understand.  Maybe... well, maybe they were all as shy as he was.  But that was OK... that would be easier, maybe.  Certainly he didn't seem the sort to be making any trouble!  That's what she needed, a safe place to fit in.  She could give it a try, see what she thought... and never go again, if it wasn't fun.<br/><br/><hr/><br/>Apparently his name was Josh... and the others were Marc, Paco, and Lisa.  They seemed fine... and the basement was ordinary enough.  Daria smiled around the group, giving Lisa a bit of a longer, sympathetic smile, then turned her attention to Marc, who seemed to be somehow in charge of this game.  The others had played before... or, the guys had, it seemed she and Lisa were the two newcomers to the group.<br/><br/>Marc... the "Dungeon Master"... sorted out some old business, but when he had questions, she didn't know where to start.  Luckily Paco did... and that broad question got everything started.  She watched Marc, then Josh... he really was pretty shy, and even looked uncomfortable here, with his friends.  Fortunately, Marc was prepared to give them the basics of how to play... and it sounded like they could mostly pick it up as they went along.  It sounded clear enough... the idea of a fantasy world was pretty appealing.  And controlling a character in a book, that... sounded good, though she didn't get a chance to say so.  She glanced over at Lisa, wondering if the other girl maybe knew more about this than she did, but it seemed they were both totally new.  But so long as the guys were a little patient, it ought to be ok.<br/><br/>She nodded, though Marc was continuing on.  He was the oldest, and it seemed he probably knew the most about the game.  Plus he was in charge, however that worked - maybe she'd get a chance to ask more in a bit, but for now apparently she had to roll some dice.  She murmured "thanks" as she took a sheet, looking at it a bit blankly at all the spaces for things she didn't understand.  But "Name", she understood that.<br/><br/>"Oh, ok.  Umm... can I borrow a pencil?"  She looked around a moment - she didn't know she'd need to be writing stuff down, or would have come prepared.<br/><br/>Once equipped, she bit her lip.  What name was appropriate?  The only character name she'd heard was "Blackleaf".  But that seemed to fit with the general idea of fantasy writing.  So... she didn't know a lot of fantasy literature, but she knew the Arthurian tales a little.  "Is Gwendolyn OK for a name?"  She glanced around before writing that down.<br/><br/>Then, dice... there were a lot of dice here, and odd ones...  she was fascinated by the other shapes.  Perfect shapes, the triangular pyramid, cubes of course, and... icosahedrons?  She picked one up - yes, definitely 20 sides.  She smiled... last year her Arts teacher had a mania for Platonic Solids, and here they were, all five of them!<br/><br/><br/>Eventually she picked out the cubes, and rolled as instructed, matching the rolls to the spots on the sheet.  Her writing was well-formed, of course, and she turned the sheet around to show Marc when he asked.<br/>STR: 13  INT: 8  WIS: 13  DEX: 11  CON: 8  CHA: 10<br/><br/>"How is that?  I guess... high is better?"<br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Rolls</div><div class="spoiler_body">Just pasting in reverse order, it's easier!<br/>At 2016-10-17 15:37:39, victoria4 (uid: 37138) rolls: 3d6 Result: 10 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=95934)<br/>At 2016-10-17 15:37:25, victoria4 (uid: 37138) rolls: 3d6 Result: 8 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=95933)<br/>At 2016-10-17 15:37:14, victoria4 (uid: 37138) rolls: 3d6 Result: 11 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=95932)<br/>At 2016-10-17 15:37:01, victoria4 (uid: 37138) rolls: 3d6 Result: 13 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=95931)<br/>At 2016-10-17 15:36:45, victoria4 (uid: 37138) rolls: 3d6 Result: 8 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=95930)<br/>At 2016-10-17 15:36:23, victoria4 (uid: 37138) rolls: 3d6 Result: 13 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=95929)<br/></div></div>