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[F1-PP] Filtered Sunlight


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NOTE: This thread takes place about a month after the launch date.

I was glad that I had the foresight to upload music to my NerveGear before I logged in. It was wonderful that I could fill in the gaps of silence when I was travelling across the plains on the First Floor or simply relaxing nearby, patiently waiting for something to happen to me. The First Floor was like a home to me for the entire time that I stayed in Sword Art Online even if it sometimes reminded me when we were told that this was a death game.

Usually, I was never really on my toes when I was outside of a safe zone. I figured that the rumors of people dying to boars were a farce. Most of these people had played games before, and even if this was a new system, it seemed as if everyone had the mindset that as long as you don’t go looking for trouble, you’ll be safe. In fact, it was when I was relaxing and lying down in the forest, taking in the virtual sunlight filtered by the virtual leaves, when I had my first real social interaction besides people trying to get me to join their party for the sole reason I was a girl.

@Macradon @Yukiro @Cordelia

[OOC: Sorry for taking a bit of time. I was busy with a couple stuff and wasted time bothering with how I want my character to look.]

Edited by Shin Kagami
Ahzoda joined
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Walking down the long way from the second floor’s plains, Macradon would wipe the sweat off of his head. His body was covered in dark green and black loose robes, parted metal plates were riveted onto leather cuirasses strapped to his torso and hips, covering the swordsman in armor that was more than enough to give him proper protection while also leave him with enough dexterity to move around and do his work. For most of the time, Macradon had been soloing, keeping to himself as he didn’t really trust others in skill. Of all the people he had met, most of them could not cope with being stuck in this world and had had a hard time trying to learn the mechanics of the world. This swordsman was lucky enough to have at least experienced proper body mechanics before becoming a citizen of Aincrad. After a long but relaxing walk home from hunting, Macradon was taking a stroll through the Town of Beginnings, going through markets, buying groceries, getting snacks, and head back towards the Tavern where he rented a room.

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Yukiro exited the cafe on the main road. He never could figure out why it never got popular, though the only reason he kept going is because it was always void of other people. It had become a go to place for when he was feeling melancholic. Like, say right now. 
When everybody had been summoned into the town of beginnings Yukiro had been separated from his only friend; a girl name Yumi. He never saw her again. Around two weeks into the death game he'd found her name stricken off the monument of life. Everything had seemed like an illusion since then. All he had to do was keep fighting, keep his mind from accepting the loss and he'd be fine. 
He turned and walked down the main path, brooding a bit. He didn't watch the other players around him, they didn't matter right now.
He also did not watch where he was going.

@Macradon @Shin Kagami @Cordelia

Edited by Yukiro
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With his arms full of groceries and snacks, Macradon fumbled through the streets of the Town of Beginnings. He started in this game without any friends, he just wanted a place to escape to, relax, away from his daily life, ironically, this had become his daily life, but he enjoyed it nonetheless. As he was slowly beginning to approach the tavern, he accidentally bumped into someone “Oh, sorry!” he said to the young man(@Yukiro), a few years younger than him perhaps. If it weren’t for the game customization, they could've looked related. He had white hair, just Macradon did. He had red eyes, just like Macradon did. It was nearly uncanny how related they looked, but it wasn’t the first time he had met someone with their combination, but it wasn’t common, that was for sure. “Sorry, I wasn’t looking properly.” he said again, apologizing for bumping into the boy.

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"Yeeeeez!!!" I yelled out before I killed another boar as I stretched myself out. Looking around in the grassland, I saw no enemies more for me to fight. Putting my glaive on my back as I made my way deeper into the forest. With my mindset set on something, that being to gain levels and see how this system worked. The engineer inside me could not leave it be to find out even if it was an impossible challenge. I could at least try. Looking at how people stayed in the now named 'town of beginners' I seemed to stay away from it, for my own reasons. One, people seemed to be distracting me from my goal, and second I am not good with my communication skills.
Many people seemed to be staying in a safe zone. I can't blame them for not getting out. It was a 'death' game of course, but that did not stop me. Even if I didn't understand why people stayed in that place to keep safe. I have always said to get to your goal you have to keep going, so I would not change that now even if death speaks a bigger role. Guess the time with the samurais and stuff must have felt the same way.

As I walked deeper into the forest I didn't hear a thing at all, but before anything, I heard rushing behind me taking out my glaive and turning to the sound. "HA~ another boar," I said as the boar seemed to get aggro on me now. It rushed at me with its tusks but before it got close I used my sword art skills from my glaive and with bright blue flashes a seemed to kill the boar in one hit. "Well... that is a little bit sad, he was just a level 1 boar. Maybe if I move deeper into the floor, I could level more," I said to myself holding my chin thinking of a plan to get more EXP. I walked with my glaive in my hand and still holding my chin thinking until my mind went onto its own journey. I walked and before I knew it I fell over something. No someone. 
Hitting the ground I looked back at the ground and saw a girl on the ground, who seemed to be relaxing. The first sign of relaxing was really something I have not seen in a long time, I looked at her as I went onto my knees as my glaive laid next to me with my hand placed on it. "Oh~, hello there. Mind if I ask something, You come here to relax or just for leveling, If leveling maybe you could help me find a good place to do so more then I already have," I said to her sounding more cheerful like I discovered something new then really feeling something. "oh~, guess I'm sorry as well if you where relaxing." I said fast thinking about what I just asked her out of nowhere.

@Shin Kagami

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“Oh, sorry! Sorry, I wasn’t looking properly.” 
Yukiro had accidentally run into another person. He was 
"Ah, no, it's my bad, I wasn't paying attention. Sorry," he apologized to the other player. He was carrying quite an abundance of food, which seemed a little odd... Not that Yukiro didn't understand the desire. 
"Do you... Would you like some help with all of that?" he offered, holing out his arms. Yukiro made sure to keep a mostly blank expression on his face to hide the fact that he was feeling so dark inside. No need to concern someone else in his struggles. 
"Did I make you drop anything?" he asked, glancing around the ground. Nothing stood out to him. 
Taking a better look at the player, Yukiro noticed an odd similarity in their appearance. This guy had white hair and red eyes too. Strange. But no matter. He shouldn't let something like that distract him. He returned to looking the other player in the eye.

@Macradon

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With slight confusion, Macradon looked at the other person, but when he finally computed the words, his face shot into a more cheerful display “Oh, yeah! I’d love some help!” he said with a smile. Handing over a few of his grocery bags, Macradon would thank the man “I’m used to being alone about this, so I think I’ve gotten a bit too overconfident about what I can bring back home. It’s nice to get a reality check now and then.” he said with a slight chortle at the end. “My destination isn’t too far from here, but I still don’t hope I’m bothering you too much.” he said somewhat apologetic. The tavern Macradon lived at was a quaint one a few minutes walk away from the great plaza in the Town of Beginnings, it usually had a good handful of customers, but was never full, but never empty either, it was constantly a rather lovely place as you had the chance to keep to yourself or drink the night away in bean flavored or herb flavored water. “The name’s Macradon, by the way.” he said while he was being escorted away from the busy streets.

@Yukiro

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The man handed Yukiro several bags of what he assumed were groceries. He didn't check the contents. 
“I’m used to being alone about this, so I think I’ve gotten a bit too overconfident about what I can bring back home. It’s nice to get a reality check now and then. My destination isn’t too far from here, but I still don’t hope I’m bothering you too much.” 
Yukiro nodded. "It's nothing t worry about. I wasn't doing much today anyway."
“The name’s Macradon, by the way.” 
"Yukiro. It's a pleasure to meet you," he greeted. He would have offered to shake his hand, but... groceries. So he just gave a polite nod and followed Macradon away from the crowd. 
Perhaps he should start some conversation..? No, he wasn't any good at that. Or maybe...
"So, um... where are we going?" 
Yeah. That seemed like a decent question. Great going Yukiro. 
Perhaps I can afford a small amount of social interaction. Getting to know this guy couldn't hurt... right?

@Macradon

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Listening to the engagement in small talk, Macradon smiled at Yukiro and said “There’s this tavern not far from here. I rent a room there so that’s just where I’ll be placing the groceries and stuff. It’s the only place I have to live with a proper room, since I can’t really fit a living room into my shop.” he said with a chortle. His shop was quaint, small, and barely had enough space to be called a shop. Macradon had recently acquired the skills to smith equipment, he never sold anything, but he did create a lot of different items, mostly armor for protection, since he tried to avoid taking damage as much as possible. “Do you live in the town as well, or are you from out of town?” he asked the man, trying to keep the conversation going, not dying out, as that would be awkward for both parties.

@Yukiro

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  • 2 weeks later...

My eyes were closed for only a few minutes as I started to feel drowsy, the scenery was something you'd never experience in the considerably stuffy capital city of Japan. Although I've had experiences mountain climbing, flower arrangement, and many other things people would consider as connecting oneself to nature, they've always felt as if they were nothing but a chore, like a piece of coursework that I was mandated to complete. I guessed that this was how it felt to stop and smell the roses, and I had to thank being trapped in this digital world with no one I knew since it felt like it freed from nearly all responsibilities. Though, that zen that I had achieved only lasted for a short amount of time as the wind was knocked out of me by something falling on me.

I sat up quickly and started coughing, wheezing, and making all sorts of sounds that someone's lungs shouldn't make. I knew that it wasn't painful, in fact, it felt like I didn't really need to breathe in the first place inside the game, but rather it was a simulation of how someone's wind would get knocked out of them. As I regained my senses, I turned my head to see a girl with her orange hair tied up in a ponytail with a glaive at her side. As she apologized for disturbing my nap, I blinked slowly when I noticed her hand resting on the glaive before taking a deep breath to calm down. "No need to be hasty, "I thought. "Just keep my wits about me."

"You guessed correctly. I don't have many plans to go ahead and start levelling up. After all, what's the point of levelling up when you can ensure your safety in other ways? As long as you keep your wits about you and be mindful of your surroundings, you could go venture out anytime you want without any danger." My eyes continued to flicker to the hand resting on her glaive, gauging whether she'd be the type to attack me. Although most of my fears were already assuaged since she didn't attack while I tried to restore my breath, I didn't move my position. Instead, I provided the most gentle smile that I could; the cordial smile that I've honed for my entire life.

@Azhoda

Edited by Shin Kagami
Tagging azhoda
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I looked a bit up and down at the player, She seemed to be from high-class status, such as I was known to grow up with. On the other hand, she seems to be younger than me maybe by like 5 or 4 years. Plus the fact that her eyes were on my hand and making sure my hand did not do things. I was ok with this for now but did want to test something later or sooner. listening to her speaking about relaxing while keeping your wits about, well in my book that was a bit dumb too so. It's better to keep working and go for the best. "Hmm... well I would say keeping your wits out while relaxing it rather useless. It is better to strive for the best and become the best." with my other hand I fixed my goggles on my head a bit and took out some grass of my hair that got stuck between my hair and goggles. 

Now time for a little test, I have done these kinds of things before with my co-workers. To test if they really paid attention to things. As she was focusing on my hand the whole time I started speaking, "So, I guess, nice to meet you then. I'm Shior,  a pleasure to meet you then," I said opening my menu to get ready to test my thing, "So... you seemed not to be really keen on doing anything in this game, just relaxing and taking breaks," I said. I took my glaive up and from the ground as the blunt part of my blade moved to the girl and before it made contact with her face, it disappeared into my inventory. "You don't trust me, do you now," I said smiling innocently.

@Shin Kagami

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  • 4 weeks later...

Yukiro noticed the man's smile before he spoke. “There’s this tavern not far from here. I rent a room there so that’s just where I’ll be placing the groceries and stuff. It’s the only place I have to live with a proper room, since I can’t really fit a living room into my shop. Do you live in the town as well, or are you from out of town?” 
Shifting the bags in his arms a bit, Yukiro responded, "I... live in town, yeah." He wasn't sure if he wanted to reveal the fact that he was just sleeping on benches and rooftops rather than paying for an inn. Let alone owning a place to live. "You have a shop? What do you do in it?" 
Yeah, what a solid way to change the topic. Keep it up, Yukiro, you're still doing great. 
"I might stop by if I end up needing something," he offered to Macradon. He hadn't actually left town yet, but he knew he'd have to do it eventually. And having something to help protect him would be very useful. 

@Macradon

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Macradon nodded at the reply that this fellow also lived in the Town of Beginnings, and when posed the question, Macradon smiled, but was unable to really do his pose that he usually did when speaking of his profession “I’m a blacksmith! I do a lot of different stuff and has just begun making more intricate weaponry since I’m quite the beginner at it atm.” he replied with a chuckle “I really only took Blacksmithing as my profession because I’m too cheap to buy equipment from someone else, but since I’ve gotten a few customers after I opened my shop, I’m thinking about aiming for the top. I wanna rank up and be the first to get that shining Rank 10 in Blacksmithing. There’s a long way ahead, but I hope I might be able to do it.” he said with a really big smile. It was a fun task to do, since he had just begun, so he still had plenty to learn from experience, but for now it was just a fun little inspiration to keep him going. “You’re welcome to stop by at any moment you please!” he said with a big smile in reply to Yukiro’s comment.

After walking for a few more minutes, they finally arrived at the tavern “This’s the place I’m living at, I’ll just take those …” he said and grabbed the bags and groceries Yukiro was holding and lifted it all inside “I’m home! Restocking my food!” he said and just put all of the stuff on the counter to the tavern owner “You keep doing this, you can’t just use us as some kind of bank to keep your inventory free of space!” the tavern owner said to Macradon “But I do pay you, don’t I?” he said with a cheeky smile and waved goodbye as he went back outside “I’ll be home for dinner, I promise!” he said and exited the tavern to greet Yukiro again. “The day’s still young, should we take a stroll? The grasslands are really nice in this weather.” Macradon asked, wondering if they could get outside a bit and enjoy the wind.

@Yukiro

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“You’re welcome to stop by at any moment you please!” Macradon invited Yukiro with a big smile. 
Yukiro nodded. 
"I'll be sure to do so." 
He didn't mention that the man had forgotten to mention the name of his shop. 

They arrived at the tavern Yukiro assumed was the right one after a few more minutes. “This’s the place I’m living at, I’ll just take those …” Macradon said, taking the bags Yukiro was carrying. Yukiro waited outside for the man to return.  
A minute later Macradon returned. "I’ll be home for dinner, I promise!” he called inside before turning to Yukiro, “The day’s still young, should we take a stroll? The grasslands are really nice in this weather.” 
I suppose I have no reason to refuse the offer. 
"Yeah," Yukiro nodded, "That sounds nice, if you'd like to do so," he said, trying to give the player a slight smile. he didn't have a whole lot else to do that day, so he might as well join him. 
"By the way, you never mentioned your shop's name," he said. Yeah, he might as well ask. 

@Macradon

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As Yukiro agreed to take a stroll, Macradon would reply with a broad smile “This is how it should feel like in this game, it shouldn’t be gloomy, it shouldn’t be solitary, it should be with people, It’s a Massive MULTIPLAYER Online Game. Glad that this is possible.” Macradon thought as he quickly checked his pockets if he had forgotten anything, but luckily he hadn’t “Let’s go then!” he said with a cheerful attitude and began walking out towards the grassy fields of the first floor. “What have you been wasting - that’s not the proper word - enjoying your time with here after the big announcement? It hit me pretty hard at first, but I met a lot of new acquaintances, so I’ve been able to keep on going.” he asked and said, trying to get a glimpse of who Yukiro were as a person, who he was as a player, who he was as a human being trapped in here.

@Yukiro

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