[PP-F4] It's a Trap!! (Manta Gaul, ErinVyce)

[Koumori 0]

I was back again in my favorite place: Snowfrost town. As I did virtually every time I set foot in the crunchy snow, I thought about all the times I had been here previously. Starting all the way back from the beginning of my adventures in SAO, I had made a lot of memories in this winter wonderland. Kisses, snowballs, lots of snowballs, skating, the list goes on. Maybe it was something about the snow that brought out the fun in people. Perhaps it reminded us of the festivities of the holidays back home. I could only guess. Nonetheless, I had come up early in the morning and was simply lounging in the town square. I was sitting on a bench throwing snowballs at a nearby building as I listened to the wind blow through the town. It was peaceful and for a popular place quiet. However, I knew it rarely stayed like that for long. Eventually someone I knew would find me and start causing mayhem. Well, maybe not as much as Shirosu, but still. Where was she anyway? Oh well, I had other fun friends that knew how to make a joke. Maybe they'd make a guest appearance. 

[ErinVyce 0]

Erin skipped joyfully through the snow this time she had wizened up from her previous endeavors as it was still quite cold and her new armor didn't provide much use to maintaining one's natural body heart or virtual body heat? She still was so confused about this place as it felt rather realistic in strange sense but then certain things you knew were true but perhaps it was just your brain firing what it thought was actual truth. Strolling through the town she would smile and look down at the snow which she was trudging up before looking back a ways. "Manta! Come on lets keep going the inn is just a bit farther that way!" She shouted having left her in her tracks. A building that had been pelted by snowballs was being approached faster as another snowball came flying in from left field. Erin hadn't even bothered to pay attention when she shrieked from feeling the wet snow hit the side of her face some of it going into her ear and her voice now squealing loudly. "Cold!"

[Amira 0]

Manta followed along slowly behind Erin, letting her girlfriend run along ahead. She smiled, thinking about how much had changed since they had met. She heard Erin calling for her to hurry up as the inn was getting close. She sped up her walking, slowly but steadily catching up with Erin.  Her feet crunched in the snow with each step, breaking the peaceful silence every time she move forwards. It couldn't be help though, so she continued onwards. From up ahead she saw at snowball flying at Erin from the left and walked a bit faster, catching up with Erin moments later. Was someone trying to start a snowball fight?

[Koumori 0]

As I continued my activity I heard some noises coming from behind me. From what I could tell, there were a couple people walking towards me. My suspicion was confirmed when I heard a girl talking to someone. But wait...did she say Manta? Was she talking about the same Manta I knew? The one I hadn't seen in some time? The thought distracted me and my next snowball went wide, pelting the girl in the face. I stood up off the bench and held my hands in the air. "Ah! I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hit you." I said to her apologetically. I looked past her and saw Manta quickly coming towards us. So it was her. "Oh, hi Manta."

[ErinVyce 0]

"Ahhh c-cold snow in ear and on face," She shivered now laying in the snow that had crunched underneath her weight. She peered up seeing someone who had now begun to approach her undoubtedly the person who had thrown it. "Owieeeeeee" She whined louder as she began to trudge through the snow on her knees toward Manta now wrapping her arms about her legs and sniffling. "Sometimes I hate this cold floor," She murmured now lifting herself up to her feet slowly to look back as she heard the unfamiliar face mentioning Manta by name. "You two know each other?" She cupped one hand over her ear now beginning to massage it to get the rest of the frost that was inside of it.

[Amira 0]

It looked like Koumori himself was the culprit. Erin crawled through the snow, hugging Manta's legs, and Manta crouched down, giving her a hug. She stood back up a few  seconds later. "Hey Koumori!" Manta called out cheerfully as Erin tried to get the snow out of her ear. "Yeah Erin. This is Koumori, one of my old friends. We used to duel each other and do stuff together, but I've been doing frontline stuff lately, so we haven't been able to hang out." She had also been busy hanging out with Erin as well, but she didn't mention that.

[Koumori 0]

I stood there with a look of pure confusion as I watched the girl curl up into a ball on the ground and then crawl her way over to Manta's waiting legs. The face palm was real. It was like the girl was a puppy or a cat who had been sprayed with water. I had seen plenty of over the top people in SAO but she was already on her way to taking the cake. I shook off my expression and walked toward the comically untwined girls. As I walked I wondered who she was. For I good while I hung out with Manta a lot of the time, and that wasn't too long ago, yet I had no idea who this person was. They looked pretty close too, closer than two people who had just met. The girl on the ground looked surprised when I mentioned Manta by name and asked how we knew each other. Manta was quick to explain who we were to each other as I continued to look at the girl on the ground. "Yep, we used to hang out all the time but she ditched me for her boyfriend." I walked up even closer and bent down over the girl wrapped around Manta's legs. Her reaction made me feel really bad so I felt like I needed to apologize again. "I really am sorry. I hope I didn't hurt you." I said with a smile and closed eyes. I stayed bent over while I continued. "But nice to meet you Erin"

[ErinVyce 0]

Standing up she would now hear a bit more properly since she had finally wiped away the last of the snow that was still freezing her ear. "Pleasure to meet you as well Koumori, I suppose  friend of Manta's a friend of mine." She smiled while adding on, "Regardless beaming me in the ear with a snow flake. And I heard about her boyfriend, she recently broke up with him though I." She looked back toward her and bit her lip wondering if Manta wanted to explain exactly why she had been so distant. The two of them were starting to have a great relationship and Erin wasn't the type to force personal matters in public conversation. Besides she really didn't know Koumori all that well besides the fact that they were at least friendly acquaintances.

[Amira 0]

There was nothing that she could do really. She had been meaning to meet up with Koumori and tell him what had transpired with her and Erin in private, but she couldn't very well hide it from him. She reached out and grasped Erin's hand for comfort. "Ummm." She paused, squeezing Erin's hand gently. "This is Erin, my girlfriend." She said, feeling as though she had dropped some sort of bomb. She waited for the impending awkward silence that would occur.

[Koumori 0]

Erin smiled and introduced herself to me before standing up and telling me something I wasn't expecting to hear. She broke up with Sausuke? "Wha...why?" I said, confused. What had happened? They were engaged! What horrible thing could have happened? Maybe he died? I stood there with that same confused look as I waited for an explanation. I looked as Manta slowly reached out and squeezed Erins hand as she struggled to find what to say. No...no that can't be it. I stood there in complete silence as Manta introduced her girlfriend to me. She was probably expecting some over the top reaction...and maybe she got it. With a blank look on my face, I looked to Manta before looking over to Erin and back to Manta. Without thinking, I turned around and calmly walked over to a pile of snow. Then I bent down and proceeded to do snow angels. It was probably a sucky snow angel. 

[ErinVyce 0]

Erin blushed as she felt Manta's hand take her own into it and tightly being squeezed as she now slid in partially awkward now from being told that she has replaced Manta's former boyfriend and was now so flustered she couldn't even speak. Her mouth was clamped shut and nodded to Koumori as she now nestled in behind manta, her hand still being held in front. She began to wrap her arms about as she saw the staggered expression in the boys face. As he collapsed backwards making snow angles she blinked a bit surprised and managed to must the confidence to as, "I-Is he ok?"

[Amira 0]

Erin appeared to be extremely embarrassed and was now hiding behind her, still holding her hand. Koumori meanwhile, had walked over to a snow drift and had layed down in it, making a snow angel. He appeared to be in a state of shock. She frowned, glancing behind her at Erin. "I think so." She whispered. "He might be in shock." She turned back to answer Koumori's question. Before he had fallen over he had asked why. "Sousuke disappeared again. I told him if it happened again that we were over." She said. "That was a week ago or so. A few days ago Erin and I got together, and stuff..." She blushed, thinking about the 'stuff' that had happened. "Stuff happened and we got together." She said, finishing her explanation.