[PP-F4] The Quest for the Heart of Ice

[Pinball 1]

"Waterloo, huh? That's pretty cool I guess." Pinball took a step on the ice. His balance wasn't terribly good, and he nearly stumbled onto his back the moment his boot touched the ice. "Jesus," he mumbled to himself, taking long, slow, forceful steps so as to avoid falling off the ice. Why are we crossing the lake like this? Wouldn't it be easier to just... walk around it? But the mountains were just across the frozen waste, and Pinball wasn't an incredibly patient. Sucking up his discomfort, he made his way across the lake. He thought for a moment before answering Tsu. "We moved to Japan when I was like... twelve, I think," he began, biting his lip before adding the lie, "my dad thought it'd be better for the family to get closer to our relatives. There wasn't much help for us in America." It was close to the truth, minus the bit about his father. He wasn't sure why he lied about such a thing. After all, Pinball thought he didn't mind talking about his family, but there was something that made him think Froppy would judge him because of it. He kept his head up, thinking. Why is that guy holding a fishing rod? he thought, a moment too late. Pinball fell into the hole in the ice, where an NPC had been fishing. 

[Froppy 0]

Tsu giggled a little bit when she saw Pin stumble as he stepped onto the ice. After that, the two of them made their way across the lake, Pin not really going across in the most graceful manner. He said that his family had moved to Japan since there wasn't much help for them in America. "So it was more of an escape, ribbit. It was a bit of the same thing for me too. The Canadian government had been focusing on experimenting on my family, ribbit. So we left before they could do anything worse than making us into frogs, rrrrribbit." Tsu explained, wobbling a little bit as she tried to keep her balance. Just before they were about to get off of the lake, Pin fell into a fishing hole and Tsu turned around, sliding over to the whole and looking down. It looked pretty deep, so Tsu couldn't let him stay underwater for too long. Tsu crouched down and stuck her tongue into the whole and curled it around Pin's arm. From there, she pulled him back up and stood up, yanking him out of the hole and onto the ice. "You okay Pin? I got worried for a second there, rrrrribbit." Tsu asked, opening her menu and getting out a towel for Pin, and then wrapped it around him.

[Pinball 1]

Pinball was lifted up from the frigid water sputtering. He helped pull himself from the ice, where he flopped onto his back, wet, his legs hanging over the hole he had fallen into. He let out a long sigh, quite embarrased. The NPC chuckled, and turned his attention back to his fishing. Pinball's eyes narrowed, and he stared at the man menacingly. Was that whole thing deliberatly put into the game? Was that hole put there specifically to get people to fall in? There had to be a reason, of course. NPCs rarely showed much emotion that was not programmed; the AI of the game wasn't advanced enough to have every unit have a unique personality. Damn you, Kayaba. I'll kill you myself. Pinball accepted the towel with a weak smile. "Thank you," he laughed. "Jesus Christ." He wiped his face with the towel, the wetness of his clothes fading instantly, as affects like wetness or dryness was simply there to offer a bit of flavor to the environment. They didn't normally stick around. He looked at Froppy curiously. She didn't laugh, she realized. It was weird. The people he hung around would have usually laughed at him and his unawareness. Was that such a bad thing? "Sorry," he murmered. Then, perking up, he asked "Are we ready to go?"

[Froppy 0]

Tsu noticed that the NPC chuckled and Tsu stuck her tongue out a him. They might have just put this on purpose, as a joke against players. Tsu was thinking to herself why the hole was conviently placed for Pin to fall in. Pin thanked her for the towel as he dried himself off and Tsu nodded. "No need to thank me, ribbit. I just helped out like any normal person would. Well, except for the part where I picked you up with my tongue, but any normal person would have done that, rrrrrrrribbit." Tsu said as she waved her hand in dismissal after he laughed a little bit. It did seem as though the hole was set up for Pin to fall into. Tsu couldn't help but think there was some kind of trap for her to fall into as well. Pin asked if she was ready to go, and Tsu nodded her head in response. "Yeah, I'm ready, ribbit. Try to keep an eye out for me now okay? Kayaba might have a design for both of us, and I think I'm next, rrrrribbit." Tsu said, dropping a Final Destination quote as they started to walk up the side of the mountain. It was going to be a long climb, but it would hopefully be worth it.

[Pinball 1]

With that, the two were off again, and they stopped at the base of the mountain. It was really tall, and he wasn't quite sure whether or not he felt like climbing it, even if Sugutsuya had asked him to do it. But, Froppy seemed like she wanted to, and Pinball was inclined to obligue. They walked up the mountain, feet crunching in the snow. There was barely a set path, and what little there was to go off of, was twisted and hidden by many inches of snow. Pinball was not in his element. For starters, he had been born in Florida, and while his mother and him had relocated to Japan, he still wasn't quite adjusted to the snow. The same could be said about the terrain. He wasn't at all used to dense forests are mountains. He was used to palm trees and swamps. Pinball grit his teeth and kept going, but his heart fluttered in his chest. He was really happy to be hanging around with someone. He was usually the moody type, and Tsu seemed pretty cool. He grinned, his voice rich with sarcasm, (the reference having gone completely over his head) "Man, I expected more snow." 

[Froppy 0]

The mountain was really tall, just standing at the base made Tsu feel tiny. "Wow, this thing sure is tall, ribbit. I feel like a small tadpole from down here. It might be a bit of a climb, ribbit." Tsu said as she walked through the snow that seemed to form a path. From what it looked like, there was also one or two caves that Tsu and Pin would have to go through in order to reach the top of the mountain. Knowing how Kayaba is with these kinds of designs, it was a pretty safe bet that their treasure was at the top. Pin said he expected more snow, and Tsu giggled a little bit. "Yeah, because we need more snow and it needs to be colder, ribbit." Tsu said, in a kind of sarcastic tone. With the way her voice was, it was a little bit difficult to tell when she is being sarcastic or not. Tsu's tongue was hanging all the way out, since it took way too much effort to keep it in during this cold weather. "So, anything you want to talk about, ribbit? Since it's going to be a while, I figured we can talk for a while, rrrrrrrribbit."

[Pinball 1]

"Well," he sighed, trudging through the snow, "might as well get on with it." Pinball made his way up the mountain, taking it slow. The thick blanket of snow covering the path made the walk rather perilous, with steep drops threatening to send players back down the mountain. It wasn't rare for a person to take a step, only to sink a foot in the ice. The cold was another aspect of the hike that bothered Pinball. Being raised in Florida (for the most part), he wasn't at all used to the frigid air of the Fourth Floor. Though he told himself he enjoyed it, he now found that he couldn't stay out very long without that fondness wearing off. Pinball looked back to Froppy, shuffling his feet in an exaggerated fashion. "Gonna catch me some frostbite," he wheezed, kicking up snow. He looked back up the mountain, then at the snow beneath him. "Man," he said, shoving his hands in his jacket pockets, "I sure do love glycolysis." He continued walking, a blank expression on his face. In a intentionally horrible voice, Pinball recited a gravelly version of "She'll Be Coming Round the Mountain".

[Froppy 0]

Tsu nodded when Pin said that they would get on with it, starting his way up the mountain slowly. Tsu walked slowly as well, just a few feet ahead of Pin. Several times while walking, Tsu almost stepped into a hole hidden in the snow. It just made the whole trip more perilous. "It feels like the game is out to get us, ribbit. You fell in the lake already, every step we take just makes me more worried that I'm next, rrrrribbit." Tsu said, a bit of a concerned tone in her voice. The wind was blowing, and it was getting more and more chilly as they went up. 

Tsu turned around and giggled a little bit when Pin started singing horribly. Just as she turned around, Tsu bumped into a flagpole face first that seemed to be left there to create an expedition feel. Tsu started to walk away from it, but was pulled back by her tongue. Tsu's tongue had gotten stuck to the pole, and she couldn't move. "Pin! I can't move my tongue, ribbit! It's frozen to the pole, help, rrrrrrrrribbit!" Tsu cried out, quite a bit muffled. Tsu was pulling as hard as she could, but her long tongue wouldn't budge.

[Pinball 1]

He smiled a bit at her observation of their unluckiness so far. It did seem like the game was out to get them. It was during these thoughts that Pinball heard Froppy's cry for help. "Oh, Jesus!" Pinball whirled around, tumbling in the snow. "How the hell did a flagpole get put on a mountain? In a fantasy game!" He stumbled back down to Froppy, boots crunching snow underfoot. He took quickly analyzed the situation. He had never seen an effect like this in SAO. Was it new? How did they implement coldness? Is there some kind of "stick" effect implemented within the flagpole? Pinball shook it off. There was really only one thing he could think of. "Ok, ok," he began, then grinned, pulling his spear from around his back, "I think we're going to have to cut it off." He let out a nervous laugh, then hurried behind Froppy. He swiped open his menu, and materialized a glass of warm tea. "Uhh, will this work?" He figured that something warm will help unstick it, even though his first instinct was to pull her off of it. "I don't really... I don't really understand how this works. Maybe it'll melt the ice? But this is like, a game, so they might... Nevermind. Here," he said, handing her the hot drink. "It's a bit warm, don't burn yourself - well, I mean. Just. Don't hurt yourself, like, unneccesarily." 

[Froppy 0]

Tsu kept trying to pull her tongue off of the pole, putting one foot on the pole and trying to yank her tongue off with force. After another minute of trying, Tsu gave up using force and tried to laugh when Pin asked how a flagpole got put on a mountain. "I have no idea, ribbit! It's like with that random fishing pole you fell in. Just get me off, rrrrrrrribbit!" Tsu tried to say, but about 90% of it was just muffled and completely incomprehensible. Tsu was hurting herself pulling now, so she moved a little closer to the flagpole. Pin said that they would have to cut it off, and Tsu's eyes widened as she chuckled nervously. But luckily, Pin had found another solution, just pouring some warm tea on it. Tsu took the drink and poured it on the tip of her tongue. Instead of unfreezing the ice, her tongue just stayed warm for a few seconds. "Iph din work, ribbit! Juh pull me oph! Iph gittin relly panful, rrrrrrrrribbit!" Tsu begged, tears coming out her eyes as she went back to pulling with force. 

[Pinball 1]

Pinball scratched the back of his head anxiously. He had figured pulling it would have been the most uncomfortable way of going about it, but it seemed to be his only option for whatever reason. He shuffled back over behind Froppy, his head swirling. Why the hell was a flagpole on a mountain? Hikers, probably, but even then, why would Kayaba decide to even program that in? Or, maybe it was some kind of feature Pinball had neglected until now. He wondered if the mountains were hidden dungeons, hiding all sorts of treasures. If the rumors about the pendant were true, then why wouldn't it apply to any other floor in Aincrad? Pinball shook it off. He wrapped his arms around Tsu, looking away, his face turning red. He closed his eyes. Just... don't touch... anything. Nothing. Pinball dug his boots in the snow, leaving deep imprints. He hoped that these footholds would help him pull Froppy off of the pole. "Alright," he said, refusing to make eye contact, "you ready? It might... hurt a bit. On the count of three." Pinball took a deep breath. "One. Two," a pause, "three!" Pinball pulled as hard as he could. 

[Froppy 0]

Tsu was yanking herself more desperately now, trying to get off of the pole, not really even caring about the pain that it was causing. Pin had seemed to go along with her idea and wrapped his arms around her, and got ready to pull. Tsu felt one of his hands gripping her chest and her face turned redder than Pin's. He said they would pull on the count of three, and Tsu nodded, refusing to make eye contact as well. Once Pin said three, Tsu pulled along with him, and her tongue finally unstuck to the pole making Tsu fall over after losing her balance. Tsu stood back up and dusted the snow off of her before turning to Pin and helping him up. "Thanks for helping out, ribbit. I still don't get why a pole was there. But I'll never ever put down flags on mountains, rrrrrrribbit." Tsu said as she started to walk forward again, heading towards one of the caves. Tsu noticed that Pin's face was red and she crossed her arms. "Umm, normally I would call you a pervert for how you pulled me off, ribbit. But I won't this time, since you helped. I saved you from the lake, you saved me from the pole, now we're even, rrrrrrrrribbit." Tsu said before walking into the entrance of the first cave of the mountain.

[Pinball 1]

Pinball accepted her hand, pushing himself off the snow covered ground. He was surprised he didn't melt the ice, his face felt like it was on fire. He had tried his best to avoid... that area. Froppy's statement sent him rambling. "I- no, I didn't mean it like - I don't.. Blehhh, I didn't mean to like, touch- no. No." After a few more seconds of incomprehensible stuttering, Pinball finally shut up, instead opting to speed ahead of Tsu, kicking up snow as he marched into the cave. He said nothing, flustered. The cave was small - both in length as well as width. Pointed, jagged rock hung low from the ceiling, icicles scattered where rock didn't cover. Pinball's head immediatly looked up, taking note of the rather sharp looking blades of ice. Being as shallow as it was small, there was more than enough light streaming through the entrance to light up the entirety of the place. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. It was a regular cave, and, even when he really tried to find something, anything, finally concluded that there was nothing here. "It's just a dip in the mountain, I think."

[Froppy 0]

Tsu realized that the way that she addressed Pin's face being red just seemed to make it worse for him as he stuttered trying to say something. "Don't worry about it, ribbit. You helped me off, that's all. Besides, I kinda like the way you grabbed them, ribbit. I've never had another hand actually grab them, so that's a plus, rrrrrrrrrrrribbit." Tsu said, trying to find positives that would make Pin feel less bad. Looking up at the cave ceiling, Tsu got slightly wary at noticing the rocks and icicles, posing a small threat. There was nothing else really present in the cave that was interesting, so Tsu hopped along to the other side of the cave until she reached the exit, where the winding path up the mountain continued. "This cave was just part of the path, ribbit. Hopefully Sugutsuya didn't set us on the wrong path, or he'll be getting a tongue slap to the face, rrrrrrrribbit."

[Pinball 1]

Just when he thought they had moved past it, Froppy said something weird, and Pinball's face very quickly closely resembled a tomato. He didn't produce any words this time, instead, he shoved his hands in his pockets, stared into the distance with a blank expression. He let out a noise that sounded suspiciously like he needed to get his car's brakes fixed. "Eeeeeeeeeeee." He made his way up the mountain path, walking well ahead of Froppy. Looking up, Pinball saw that they still had a bit of a walk ahead of them. A frown tugged at the corners of his lips. "Hmm." After listening to Froppy, he was starting to get suspicious of her relationship with Sugutsuya. What had he done to get her to dislike him as much as she did? Pinball knew Sugutsuya was rather... shady, but he still always got his job done. Pinball decided he'd ask about it later. He threw a glance back at Froppy, trying to decide whether it was safe to talk or not. 

[Froppy 0]

Tsu decided to shut up now when Pin's face got even redder than before. If she kept up with this, then Pin's face would be on fire. The weird sound Pin made afterwards pretty much silenced Tsu from there, and she gave up trying to fix the mood. They kept walking up the mountain, and Tsu found it to be extremely awkward that neither were saying a thing, and with Pin having grabbed that area, it just made things worse. But if there was one thing Tsu knew would cheer Pin up, it would be food. Tsu opened her menu and pulled out two McFroppy's bags, each with 10 chicken nuggets and a box of fries. Tsu held one bag out to Pin with her tongue after catching up to him and put a small smile on her face. "So, do you want to have your meal, ribbit? I just figured that now would be a good time to eat, rrrrrrrribbit."